Deja Vu
by Deana
Summary: UCMummy crossover. Sequel to 'One is Two', in the Mummy section. A case goes VERY bad and may cost Frank his future, AND his past...
1. Disaster Strikes

Déjà Vu 

A UC/Mummy Crossover by Deana Lisi

Sequel to, 'One is Two': http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=768677

Disclaimer: I don't own Frank, Ardeth, or anyone from The Mummy or UC, except for the original characters.

"Frank! He's headed your way!"

Frank looked to the left to see the man they were pursuing running full tilt through the empty parking lot. Climbing over the stone wall he'd been hiding behind, he tried to jump down fast enough to catch him. 

"Stop!" he yelled. "Federal agent!"

Those words made the man run even faster, if possible, and Frank jumped the remaining five feet, and made chase. 

Charlie Marlucci; car thief turned murderer. They had been after the man for a couple of weeks, after he'd tried to steal the governor of IL's brand new Mercedes, and one of the gov's security personnel had tried to stop him. For his courage, he got beaten to death with Marlucci's crowbar. 

Frank was amazed at the speed that Marlucci kept up. His side was starting to cramp and Marlucci was a good thirty feet ahead of him. The criminal ran around a corner, onto a sidewalk.

_Great,_ Frank thought. _If I lose him, after coming this close…_Turning the corner, he saw Marlucci leap up the stairs to a bus. Before Frank reached it, the bus started off. 

"FEDERAL AGENT!" he yelled, hoping the driver could hear him. He held his badge up, for the driver to see. "STOP THE BUS!"

The bus jammed on its breaks, and the door opened. Frank cautiously went up the stairs, holding his gun. "Go!" he told the scared driver, not wanting to give Marlucci the chance of getting off the bus and disappearing again. Looking at the terrified passengers, he didn't see the man he'd chased among them.

Unfortunately, he didn't see the crowbar either.

*WHAM*

Stars exploded in Frank's head and he gasped in shock as pain overwhelmed his senses. He didn't even hear the passenger's screams as he fell back against the surprised driver.

********************

Alex ran towards the street. She heard Frank yell for a vehicle to stop, so it wasn't hard to figure out where they were. But suddenly she heard a thump and a gasp over her earpiece that sounded like Frank, and muffled screams. She gasped herself when screeches and a horrible crashing sound followed, seemingly in stereo when it came not only through her earpiece, but seemingly near her location as well.

"Frank?!" she said.

No answer.

"Frank!" she started running faster. "Jake!"

"I heard," he said. "How close are you?"

"I'm not sure…" Unknowingly taking the same path that Frank had, she followed the sound to the street, where she gasped at the sight of a bus lying on it's left side in the middle of the road.

"Frank!" she yelled, running towards the bus. Climbing up its undercarriage, she jumped inside to find people shakily picking themselves up; some of them crying in fear, others sighing in relief to still be alive.

"Frank!" she repeated.

"Help!"

Alex looked to her right to see a man lying on his back, with a person lying across him. The man was obviously the bus driver, stuck sideways in his seat with an unconscious passenger trapping him there. 

Alex gasped again, when she realized who the 'passenger' was. 

Frank.

Alex quickly knelt beside him and checked for a pulse before carefully rolling him onto his back, and off the driver. There was blood all over the left side of his head and face, and he was completely motionless. She checked his pulse again with a shaking hand. It was weak, but steady.

"Alex?!" she heard.

"In here!"

Jake climbed in, and dropped to his knees beside her as she tried to get a look at the wound near Frank's left temple. There was a lot of blood, but they both knew that head wounds were often excessively bloody. 

"Cody! Call in a major bus accident, request multiple ambulances!" Jake said through his earpiece.

"Already did!" Cody replied, it having been obvious from listening what had occurred.

Jake saw the crowbar, and picked it up. "This is what he hit Frank with…"

Alex sighed worriedly, wishing she had stayed with her boss instead of holding her own post. "Where _is_ the scumbag?" she asked, nervously.

Jake stood up, and made his way over to the sideways seats. Many of the people had already climbed out of the bus; a few injured people were still inside. 

"Help is coming," Jake told them, as he finally found Marlucci. 

The criminal was lying on his side, alive, but unconscious.

A loud screech was heard, as the team's van came flying around the corner. Cody and Monica leaped out, and climbed into the bus. Neither of them said anything, as they knelt.

"Where're the medics?!" Alex said, nervously, as she held a handkerchief to Frank's wound. 

Suddenly Frank groaned, and shifted slightly.

"Don't move, Frank," said Jake, surprised that he'd woken up so quickly.

Frank opened his eyes and stared into thin air for a minute, before saying, "What?"

"You're hurt, Frank, stay still," Alex told him, with a sigh. 

A minute later sirens could be heard, to their relief. The sound seemed to snap Frank out of his confusion.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, trying to sit up.

"No, Frank…" said Jake, as he grabbed Frank's arms, keeping him flat on Alex's lap. "You're not."

"Yes I _am_," Frank replied, sounding agitated. 

Jake was saved from having to do anything more by the arrival of the paramedics. A few of them went further into the bus, while one quickly knelt beside Frank, to assess his condition.

"I don't need help, I'm fine," Frank told him, pushing the hand away from his head.

The medic looked at the team, in alarm at Frank's ridiculous words. 

"He's stubborn," Monica stated.

"Oookayyy." The medic tried again to look at the wound, and then took Frank's pulse and blood pressure.

"Uh," said Cody. "We think he was hit with this." He held up the crowbar.

The medic drew a sharp breath, shaking his head. "Stop it," he said to Frank, when he tried to push his hand away a second time. "You've been injured, and it is my job to find out how badly!"

The team looked at the medic, in shock that someone had actually stood up to Frank Donovan.

Frank seemed surprised himself, and was more submissive. 

"BP 118 over 70. Is it usually that 'low'?" the medic asked, surprised that a man as tall as Frank wouldn't have a higher reading. 

Frank couldn't think of the correct answer, as he tried to ignore the horrible throbbing in his head. He simply grunted in the affirmative, so the medic would shut up. 

The medic shrugged and stood. Sticking his head out the door, he yelled for a stretcher. 

"No," Frank said. "I'm not going to the hospital. I'm fine."

"What?" said the medic, incredulous.

"Frank," said Alex. "Use your brain! You should go get checked out."

"Maybe his brain hurts too much to use," said Cody. 

"My brain does _not_ hurt," Frank lied. 

They all looked at him like he was crazy. 

"You're refusing further treatment? Are you sure?" the medic asked him.

Frank nodded, instantly regretting it when it made his vision swim sickeningly.

"You can take _him_ while you're here," Jake said, pointing to Charlie Marlucci, who another medic was checking out. "But he's under arrest. Wait till we get a cop to go with you when you take him in." 

The medic nodded, wondering what had happened.

Frank tried to roll off Alex's lap, and the team quickly reached out to help him. "Let's get out of here," he said, trying to sit up. 

Jake and Alex helped him stand slowly, knowing he'd probably be dizzy once he was upright. 

They were right, but Frank fought not to show it, as he tried to get out of the bus. He dazedly looked around, confused, before realizing that the bus was lying on its side. 

"Wait, Frank," said Jake, motioning for Cody to come with him as he climbed out of the bus. Once out, crouched on the fender, they reached in and carefully pulled Frank up, holding onto him in a death grip when his spinning head wreaked havoc with his balance. Looking down at the ground, Jake and Cody both tried to figure out how to get Frank down there when they saw some policemen standing nearby, getting a statement from a passenger.

"Jimmy!" Jake yelled, recognizing one of them.

The officer turned, and went over when Jake beckoned to him. "I should've known you'd be involved in this, Jake!" he joked, but stopped when he saw the bloodied Frank.

"Can you help us get him down?" Jake asked, gesturing to his boss.

The policemen nodded, wincing in sympathy at Frank's bloody head. Reaching up, he grabbed one of Frank's arms, while Cody, who'd jumped down, grabbed Frank's other. 

Alex took Cody's place beside Jake, and they carefully held Frank under the arms as they handed him down, and Jake jumped down quickly, the three men holding Frank up when his legs went out from under him.

"Didn't one of the medics have a look at him?" Jimmy asked, sounding surprised.

Jake nodded, with a sigh. "Charlie Marlucci's in the bus, the man wanted for the killing of the Governor's security man. Two of the medics are with him."

The officer's eyebrows flew up when he heard that, and he nodded vigorously. "I'll take care of it!"

"Thanks, Jim," Jake said, as they all walked away, slowly leading Frank to the van. The first step Frank took nearly made him fall flat on his face, but his faithful team members caught and steadied him. They quickly put him in the van and left, relieved that the case was finally over.

But Frank was wounded, and they all worried how badly.

If you haven't read, 'One is Two' yet, you should! Here's the link: http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=768677


	2. Should've listened to the team, Frank!

"How do you feel, Frank?" Alex asked.

Frank was trying to sit up straight in the seat, but he was leaning closer and closer to the door, finally resting his head on the van's window. "Fine."

Alex shook her head, and looked at Monica. 

'Macho,' Monica mouthed to her. 

No one said anything else, simply watching him as they drove the short distance back to HQ. When they pulled up, everyone rushed over to help Frank out of the van. 

"Where are we going?" Frank asked when Alex pulled him in the direction of his Volvo.

"I'm taking you home, where else?" 

"No," he said, trying to pull his arm out of her grasp. "I said I'm fine. We have work to do."

Alex didn't expect him to pull away, so when Frank tried to yank his arm from her grip, he succeed, resulting in making him stumble back, and she nearly missed when she reached out to grab him again. 

"Geez, Frank, look at you! I know you're stubborn, but if one of _us_ was hurt, you'd _make_ us go home!" she said. "You wouldn't put up with this kind of crap from one of _us_!"

Frank said nothing, trying to blink back the dizziness and force back the nausea his violent motion had caused. Instead of answering—for he'd hardly heard what she'd said, anyway—he turned and stumbled for the door. 

Sighing, Alex grabbed his arm, and helped him. 

********************

When they walked in, the rest of the team was surprised.

"Frank! Why didn't you let her take you home?" Monica asked, bewildered.

"Because I'm fine," he said, again, as Alex helped him over to the couch and sat him on it. "Now stop worrying about me and let's do our jobs."

"The only job _you_ can do is lie down," said Jake, hoping he could get away with ordering Frank the way the medic had. "You probably have a concussion, though I doubt you'd admit to it."

Frank's face changed from looking determined, to suddenly looking pain-filled and exhausted. "You're right," he said, and lay down on the couch.

Everyone looked at Jake in shock. Had Frank finally come to his senses, and stopped being stubborn? They were so relieved that they didn't consider the possibility that it could be a bad sign. 

********************

"Boss?"

Frank jumped slightly, looking into the blurry face of Monica. "What?" he said, annoyed, closing his eyes against the horrible pain in his skull.

"What's your name?"

Frank reopened them and looked at her as if she were insane. "You know my name," he said, closing his eyes again. 

Monica sighed. "Frank…" _Oops!_ She'd purposely called him 'boss' so she wouldn't give his name away if he was unable to tell it to her. Alex had kept waking him up and asking him questions for the past few hours, and Monica had taken over a short time ago. "I'm trying to make sure you're coherent. Bear with me, huh?"

"Frank Donovan," he said slowly, eyes still closed. 

"When were you born?" she asked next.

"November 23, 1970," he answered, sounding irritated. "Sometimes known as Thanksgiving."

"Good." She smiled and patted his arm. "Go back to sleep."

Frank didn't answer, and she figured him to be asleep already.

Walking over to where Cody sat at his computer, Monica whispered to him, "I gotta go to the bank before it closes. Keep a close eye on Frank, okay? Don't let him sleep for longer then 20 minutes at a time."

Cody nodded. "The others still not back yet?" 

Jake and Alex had gone to the Chicago police station to give them the details of what had happened; that the man who killed the Governor's security man was no longer a threat to the public. The dreaded paperwork took a while to take care of.

"Nope," Monica answered, as she left.

Cody grabbed a sticky note and wrote the words, 'check on Frank' on it. He stuck it to his monitor, should he get too engrossed in what he was doing to remember his injured boss. 

Suddenly his cell phone rang, and Cody jumped, fumbling for it and nearly dropping it. He saw the sticky note, and muttered under his breath as he realized that a good half-hour had passed. He dashed to the still-sleeping Frank, answering his phone at the same time.

"Yeah?"

"Did you wake Frank up?"

Cody sighed. "Doing that right now."

"You shouldn't've waited so long!" Monica exclaimed, sounding upset. "He could lose consciousness again!"

_I know, I know…_"Frank?" he whispered, so as not to startle him.

Frank didn't open his eyes.

"Frank…" he repeated, a little louder.

Nothing.

"Hey Frank, wake up!" Cody put a hand on his arm, and squeezed it.

Still nothing. 

_Oh God_… "Call ya back," he said to Monica, sticking the phone back into his pocket. "Frank!" he yelled, shaking him this time. "WAKE UP!"

Frank jumped, wincing and putting a hand over his eyes, making a sound that could only be described as a whimper. 

"Uh," Cody said, contrite. "Sorry, Frank."

"What do you _want_?" Frank gasped, sounding exasperated, his voice thick with pain.

"Had to wake you up to make sure you're okay."

"Why does everyone keep _doing_ that! I told you all I'm fine!"

Cody made a face. Frank knew the deal on head injuries; he knew what needed to be done. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Can't you think of something more original then that?" Frank asked back, eyes still closed.

"Uh," Cody said, growing concerned. Maybe Frank's head hurt so much that it put him in a really bad mood? Cody knew that he hated to be mother-henned. "Okay. Umm…what organ are you missing?"

Frank frowned, as if Cody were insane. "Organ? I have a piano…oh. My spleen."* 

"Right," Cody said, relieved. "I guess that means you're okie dokie! You can go back to sleep now, boss."

But Frank started to get up instead.

"Where are you going?" Cody asked.

"The bathroom."

"Oh." Cody helped him up, and watched as Frank stayed hunched over for a minute, hands on the coffee table, eyes closed tight. 

"You…uh…need help, uh, getting there?" Cody asked, grabbing Frank's arm when he suddenly listed to the side.

"No," Frank said, but then proceeded to use every large object on the way to the bathroom for support.

Cody watched, getting worried. Frank could be obstinate, but this much? He suddenly realized that Frank hadn't used his name once. "Hey Frank!" he called out. "What's MY name?"

Frank didn't answer, going into the bathroom and shutting the door. 

Cody shrugged. Frank probably didn't answer because either he was sick of all the questions, or he thought Cody was making fun of him. He sat down on the couch, waiting for his boss to come out of the bathroom, determined to lend him a hand whether he wanted help or not. 

A few minutes passed without a sound, and Cody called out, "Frank! You okay in there?" The only sound he got for a reply was a thump and a grunt.

Jumping up, he ran over to find Frank on his hands and knees outside the bathroom. "Fraaaaank," he said, kneeling next to him and grabbing his arm.

"Leave…me…alone," Frank whispered, through clenched teeth, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. 

"Have you lost your mind?!" Cody exclaimed, deciding now that Frank indeed _was_ acting more belligerent then he should be. Taking out his cell phone, he started to dial Alex's number before noticing that Monica's call was still open on the phone, and it said 10 minutes and 45 seconds. _Oops,_ he thought, as he disconnected the call and dialed Alex.

"Come on, come on..." he said impatiently, as it rang. 

"Hello?"

"Alex! Are you guys on your way back?"

"Yeah," she replied. "We're like a minute away. What's wrong? How's Frank?"

"There's something _definitely_ wrong with him—" 

"CODY!" 

"Hang on, Alex—over here, Monica!" 

Monica came around the corner, and gasped at the sight of their boss. "Frank!" She dropped to her knees beside him. "You left your line open," she told Cody, annoyed, having tried repeatedly to call him back.

"I know," he said. "It was an accident." Cody suddenly realized that he still had Alex on the line. "Alex?"

"We just pulled in, where are you?"

"Near the bathroom!"

"Why didn't you call for an ambulance?" Monica asked, putting her arms around Frank to support him. He felt cold, and she hoped that her body heat would warm him. 

"I figured if Alex and Jake were almost here it'd be quicker then waiting for an ambulance," Cody answered. Realizing that he didn't need to talk into the phone anymore, he hung it up this time, before putting it away. "There was no way I could get him there myself, he would hardly let me touch him!"

Monica looked worried at his words, trying to soothe Frank, as he gasped in agony.

Suddenly Jake and Alex came running in. Not even asking what happened, they quickly got Frank to his feet, and practically forced him out of the place and into Jake's Blazer.   

Despite Frank's insistence of not going to a hospital, he was calm during the ride, most likely because all he could do was slouch there, holding his head. Alex and Monica's dreaded mother-henning kicked in, as they kept saying things like, 'almost there' and 'you'll be fine'.

Finally, they pulled into the parking lot, and parked in front of the ER door. They quickly helped Frank from the truck, and were struck with fear to see how much he'd deteriorated during the ride; totally unable to walk, his face deathly pale. 

Their fear tripled when Frank passed out, just outside the door. 

"HELP!" Cody yelled, as they gently lowered Frank to the ER floor.

Two doctors and three nurses ran over, bombarding the team with questions.

"What happened?"

"He got hit with a crowbar!"

"A crime?"

"Yeah."

"This wound doesn't look like it _just_ happened," one of the docs observed, after ripping the bandage off that Monica and Alex had put on him.

Jake shook his head. "No, it was about…" he looked at the team. "Four? Five? Five hours ago."

The doctors shook their heads in dismay at the length of time before getting help. "Was he unconscious when it happened?"

Jake nodded. "For about ten minutes."

"Why didn't you call for an ambulance?" the doctor asked, shocked. 

"We did! He refused treatment."

The doctor accepted the blood pressure cuff that one of the nurses had run to get, while the other listened to Frank's heart. 

"Heartbeat fast," he frowned. 

"Son of a gun!" the other doctor suddenly exclaimed, sounding shocked. "BP only 65/30!"

The two doctors looked at each other, a silent message passing between them. Quickly putting Frank on a stretcher, they whisked him away without another word.

The team, stunned by what had gone on before their eyes, started forward, when the one nurse that'd remained said to them, "You'll have to wait in the waiting room."

The team looked at each other, each of them looking very scared. "What just happened?" Cody asked, fearfully. 

She sighed. "Could be many things," she answered, with a shrug, not wanting to make them nervous if the doctors were wrong about what she knew they suspected.

My story, 'Caught in the Middle': http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=642601


	3. Bad News

The team was beside themselves with worry, as they all paced intermittently, in the waiting room. 

"Over three hours," Jake mumbled. "You'd think they'd tell us _something_, in all that time!"

"I can't believe this," said Alex, running her hands through her hair. "Why did we have to listen to him? We should've _made_ him get checked!" 

"Oh my gosh!" Cody suddenly exclaimed.

Everyone looked at him.

"I just realized," he said. "It's a good thing he didn't let you take him home, Alex!"

Everyone turned pale at the realization.

"Nah," said Alex. "With a head injury, I would've stayed with him." She suddenly frowned. "Cody, how did you realize something really _was_ wrong with him?"

Cody told them of Frank's behavior, and they all sighed, shaken that an injury could alter someone's personality so much. 

Finally Jake started to stalk over to the nurse's station. "I'm gonna ask what's going on…"

"Ask me," they heard.

Turning around, they saw a doctor standing there, removing his surgical mask. It was one of the doctors from the ER.

"How is he?" Jake asked worriedly, as he and the others ran over.

The doctor sighed, sending a chill down everyone's spines. "He needed emergency surgery. He had a subdural hematoma, but we managed to catch it in the nick of time."

Everyone's looks of horror changed to sighs of relief. All except for Jake. 

"But…?" he said.

"But the hematoma had bled for a long time," the doctor told them. "His BP bottomed out at 55/20 before we got the bleeding under control. You said the injury happened five hours prior to your arrival here?" At their nods, he continued. "A subdural hematoma happens when a blood vessel or vein breaks, causing bleeding between the brain and skull. Prolonged bleeding can literally crush the brain…"

Everyone gasped or made sounds of shock. Cody looked slightly green.

"Are you saying he has brain damage?!" Alex cried.

The doctor held up a hand. "I'm not finished. Besides the hematoma, he has a skull fracture. We had to put a metal plate in his head."

Everyone gaped at him, struck speechless.

"The fracture saved his life," said the doc.

"How?!" Alex asked, sounding almost hysterical.

"The hematoma had an exit, rather then filling up inside his skull and crushing his brain. Since a lot of the blood was able to go out through the fracture, it didn't cause as much damage to his brain as it should've."

"So you're saying that if he didn't have the skull fracture, he'd be dead right now?" Jake asked.

The doctor nodded. "Unquestionably."

No one said anything, speechless.

"As for the amount of brain damage he does or does not have, we have to wait until he wakes up to see." The doctor shrugged. 

"Doc," said Jake, moving closer to him. "In your opinion, is severe damage likely?"

The doctor seemed to choose his words carefully before he replied. "He was bleeding internally for five hours; directly onto his brain. Even though some of the blood found an outlet, I would think that there could be _some_ form of damage. There is no way to tell exactly what, until he awakes."

Alex immediately plopped down onto the couch as if her legs wouldn't hold her. Monica plopped down next to her, and Jake and Cody could do nothing but stare at each other, in utter shock.

"When can we see him?" Jake asked, knowing that he'd be in recovery for a while first.

"A couple hours," the doctor said, which got groans from the team. "Why don't you all get some food in the cafeteria?" When no one looked interested in the idea, he said, "Has his family been notified?"

Everyone looked at Cody, knowing he'd be the only person able to find out how to do _that_.

********************

Two hours later, the team was finally allowed to see Frank, who they'd put in intensive care. They all just stared at him silently, as Frank lay there motionless with a bandage around his head and an IV in each arm; one containing medication, and another containing blood, to replace what he'd lost thanks to the hematoma. He was nearly as pale as the sheets.

"When will he wake up?" Monica finally asked.

The doctor shrugged. "Coma is common after this type of surgery. It could last anywhere from several hours, to a few days."

"Coma?" Alex echoed. "He's in a coma?"

The doctor nodded. 

No one said anything, shock making them wordless. 

"Anything _else_ we need to know?" Cody asked. "So we can deal with _all_ our shock right now?" 

The doctor gave him a stern look, not appreciating the sarcasm, and Cody promptly shut up. "When he wakes, it would be prudent to exercise caution in your reactions. Mr. Donovan will most likely be incoherent and confused. He _did_ have brain surgery."

Everyone nodded at that, sighing. 

"Poor guy," Cody said.

********************

It was five long days before Frank came out of his coma. The team had requested and received a temporary respite from new cases from the DOJ, and spent as much time as they could at the hospital, waiting for him to wake up. When he finally did, they were so depressed and worried out of their minds by then, that they almost missed it.

Alex was staring at Frank's face, her chin on the bed's rail. She'd been there for so long, that it was like she was looking _through_ Frank, not _at_ him anymore. Her subconscious mind noticed his eyelids flutter, but her brain didn't register it till a minute later.

"Frank?" she sat up straight.

He didn't move.

"What?" said Monica, on the other side of the bed, looking half asleep.

"I..I think his eyes moved."

Jake and Cody dove out of their chairs and came closer, while Alex hit the call button on the wall.

Within seconds two nurses came in, as well as a doctor who happened to be in the ICU.

"I think he's waking up!" said Alex, excitedly.

The doctor came closer, whipped his penlight out of his pocket, and shined the light in Frank's eyes. "Pupils are reactive," he said. He looked at the heart monitor to see that Frank's heart rate was up from the last check.

"Well?" said Cody.

"He may be waking," said the doc. "Mr. Donovan," he said, gently. "Mr. Donovan, open your eyes."

They all watched Frank, to see no movement from him.

"Frank!" said Alex, "_Please_, wake up!"

Monica put a hand on her arm, to silence her.

"No," the doctor told Monica. "As long as you do it calmly, call him. Maybe he'll recognize your voices."

They obeyed the doctor, repeating Frank's name and telling him to open his eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, Frank's eyes finally opened, slightly.

"Thank God!" Alex and Monica both said, echoing each other.

Frank's eyes kept blinking, opening a little more.

"Frank," said Jake. "It's us."

"Yeah," said Cody. "You know, the people who drive you crazy."

Everyone chuckled softy at that, watching as the doctor examined him.

"Mr. Donovan? Can you tell me your name?"

Cody wondered what kind of a question that was, when they'd been saying his name over and over.

Frank just blinked back at him, making no attempt to speak.

"You're in the hospital, Mr. Donovan," the doctor continued. "You suffered a severe head injury, and needed surgery. Can you tell me your first name?"

Frank still said nothing, not even looking at the doctor. 

"Say _something_, Frank!" Alex cried.

Frank's eyes closed, and remained that way.

"Asleep," said the doctor. 

"Was all that disorientation, or does it look like brain damage?" Jake asked, nervously.

The doctor sighed, making everyone's blood pressure spike. "He would definitely be disorientated, but it would've been a good sign if he'd acknowledged our existence."

Despondent, no one said anything, sure that the doctor's words indicated brain damage. They all just looked at each other, each of them wondering, _What are we going to do?_


	4. More Bad News

Frank didn't wake again until the next day. To their delight, this time he looked directly at them, or rather, squinted.

"Frank!" said Monica, who noticed first. 

Frank looked at the four of them, seeming confused. "W-where…?" 

Everyone smiled in relief. His question had been the softest whisper, but at least he was able to ask it.

"You're in the hospital, Frank," Alex said, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "Your head injury was worse then everyone thought."

Frank frowned, not saying a word.

"Frank?" said Jake, in concern. 

They got no answer, as Frank closed his eyes tight, in obvious pain.

"Oh, crap!" said Alex, realizing that no one had hit the call button for the doctor. As she reached to do so, the doctor came in.

"He's awake!" she told him.

The doctor hurried closer, and frowned to see his patient's pained expression. Going over to the locked cabinet, he took out a bottle and a syringe, and injected something into the IV. 

Everyone watched as Frank's face slowly relaxed, as the medicine took effect. He sighed, but didn't reopen his eyes.

"Mr. Donovan?" said the doc. "Can you tell us your first name?"

Frank opened his eyes, and looked at them. He frowned, not answering. 

"Frank?" Cody said, when he didn't answer. Realizing what he'd done, he covered his mouth with both hands, making a face as if to say, 'oops!'

Monica shook her head at him, while Alex sighed. Jake tried not to laugh at Cody's no-brainer.

"Do…I…know you?" they heard.

In shock, they all looked down at Frank, to see him blinking up at them, still looking confused.

"You don't know who we are?!" Jake asked, incredulous.

Frank looked at them for a minute longer, before closing his eyes. "No…"

Everyone looked to the doctor, with anguished expressions.

"Amnesia?" Monica whispered, shaking her head in denial. 

The doctor sighed. "I'm gonna run some tests; an EEG and CAT scan. If you'll wait in the waiting room, I'll come tell you when we're done."

Everyone nodded, nervously, and filed out the door. Once in the waiting room, none of them could sit, as they waited for word.

"I can't believe this…" said Alex, as she paced. "I…I can't _believe_ it! This kind of thing only happens on TV!"

"Calm down, Alex," said Jake.

"Calm down?" she repeated, throwing her hands up into the air. 

"Yeah," said Jake, grabbing her and holding her still. "Frank is gonna need our help, and we can't do that if we're losing our minds over here!"

Alex sighed. Shaking her head, she abruptly plopped down onto the couch with a sniff.

Monica went over and sat next to her when it became obvious that Alex was fighting back tears.

"Poor Frank," she said.

Monica nodded, fighting tears herself.

"Come on, girls," said Cody. "Maybe he _doesn't_ have amnesia. He could still be disoriented, or it could even be the medicine."

"True," Monica admitted. 

They sat there for a while, waiting. Finally the doctor came back out, and they all jumped to their feet.

The doctor held up his hand, to prevent them from bombarding him with questions. "We did the tests," he said. "On the CAT scan, we looked for light colored spots to indicate where the hematoma had collected enough to put pressure on the brain. We found a few, one being over his memory center."

Everyone gasped.

"But, the spot was only on the left side of his brain. Both sides of the brain have memory centers. When he's finally totally coherent, we may find that he remembers _some_ things, just not _every_thing."

"Will his brain heal?" Monica asked. "Or is it permanent damage?"

The doctor nodded. "It can heal; again, thanks to the skull fracture. The blood had somewhere to go, rather then sitting there making the damage worse and worse."

The team nodded, in relief.

"You said you found a 'few' spots," said Alex, nervously.

The doctor nodded again. "Yes…" he said, and paused. "The others were over areas that control motor function."

"WHAT?!" they all exploded.

"Are you saying he won't be able to use his arms or legs or something?" Cody sputtered.

"Hematomas usually occur in certain areas within the skull. Motor function is commonly affected in survivors, but they _can_ be re-taught to walk, or recover use of an affected arm with physical therapy."

No one said anything, as they realized that Frank would have a lot of hospital visits to look forward to in the nearby future. 

"Is he back in his room?" Jake asked, breaking the silence. "Can we go in again?"

"He's asleep," the doctor said, nodding. 

They all walked down the hall quietly, again entering Frank's room. He was sleeping, as the doctor had said, and they all looked down at him, silently.

"How will Frank handle this?" said Alex. "He's so used to being in control of everything."

The others sighed, or shook their heads in dismay.

"I wish you'd been able to locate his mother, Cody," said Monica.

Cody spread his hands as if to say, 'I tried.' While Frank had still been in his coma, he had gone crazy trying to find Alanur Bay Donovan, but she was nowhere to be found. 

"I wish there was a way to notify his grandfather," Cody said. "But how do you get a message to someone who lives in the middle of the desert?"

"Maybe when Frank's not so out-of-it anymore, he'll remember his mother, and know where she is," said Jake, optimistically.

"Hope so," said Alex. 

********************

The next day, Frank woke up before anyone else did. He opened his eyes, and looked around at the people asleep on cots and on the bed next to his. 

Turning his aching head slowly, he looked at them with a frown. _These people never leave…do I really know them?_ He mind was a total blank, he literally had no idea whether he did or not, and it scared him. _What happened to me? _He tried to think, but it was as if some invisible force was preventing him. Try as he might, there was nothing there. He sighed, feeling uncomfortable, and tried to shift his position. When his body didn't obey him, a stab of fear hit his stomach. _Oh, God, no! I'm...I'm…_he couldn't think of the word. 

_*beep beep beep beep*_

The UC team jumped when a nurse ran into the room, and over to Frank.

"What?!" Jake shouted, the first to awaken. "What happened?!"

They all dove off the beds, in frenzied concern. 

"Shh!" the nurse said to them, relieved that Frank's dramatically increased heart rate wasn't due to a medical problem. "Don't excite him, he's upset enough."

Frank answered them before anyone could ask. "I…can't move," he whispered. 

"Calm down, Mr. Donovan," said the doctor's voice, behind them. "You aren't paralyzed."

_Then why can't I move? _The words popped into his head, but when he tried to say them nothing came out. 

"You had brain surgery, Mr. Donovan," the doctor continued, coming further into the room. "Do you remember why?"

Frank just stared at him. "N-no," he finally said, seeming as if he'd had to force the word out.

The doctor frowned, at that. "You were hit on the head with a crowbar, which caused a subdural hematoma."

Frank blinked and furrowed his eyebrows, as if he was trying to figure out what that was.

The doctor was being vague on purpose; trying to gauge the severity of Frank's memory loss and mental capacity. "Internal bleeding within the skull," he explained. "You received a skull fracture that fortunately allowed some of the blood to exit the confined space, protecting your brain from becoming damaged too badly."

Frank still had a confused look, but it faded away when he closed his eyes, quickly tired out. 

"Frank?" said Alex, hoping he hadn't fallen asleep, wanting him to be awake enough for them to finally get to talk to him.

He slowly opened his eyes when she touched his arm, and looked at her questioningly, blinking sleepily.

"Your name is 'Frank'," she said, thinking he might not realize that. "We're your friends."

_So that's why they won't leave. _Frank smiled a little, and closed his eyes again. 


	5. Progress?

Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone! :)

The next few days were nerve-wracking, as everyone waited to find out the extent of Frank's brain damage. He'd managed to become more coherent, but they were horrified to find out that Frank's right arm and hand frequently went numb. 

"That's his gun hand," Cody had whispered, earning dismayed looks from the others. 

Along with that, Frank was having difficulty thinking and occasional trouble speaking. He kept calling Jake 'Cody' and Cody 'Jake', which would've been humorous had it not been such a bad sign. He sometimes couldn't think of a word, and when he _could_ think of it, sometimes he simply could not say it. He would get extremely frustrated, and would shut everyone out, simply staring at the wall, not responding to anyone. The only thing the team could do was sit with him quietly, one of the girls usually laying a hand on his arm, in silent support.

It was killing them all watching Frank go through something like this. It hit them the hardest the day the doctor wanted Frank to try to walk. It shocked them that he would try to get Frank up and around so soon, until the doctors explained that the sooner, the better. 

"If he's to recover all his motor function, then we have to start it immediately. If he stays in bed the entire time his brain heals, without trying to regain the act of walking, his brain may _not_ give him the capability _back_."

So the team watched anxiously, as they brought Frank in a wheelchair to a room where a physical therapist waited. 

"Aww, you mean you couldn't even get the poor guy a woman?" Cody quipped, when they saw the man walking over to them.

"We need someone strong enough to hold him up," the doctor answered, having come the first day to observe, and make sure that Frank could handle the therapy.

"Oh yeah," Cody said, feeling like a moron.

"Hi," said the man. "My name's Jim, I'll be your physical therapist." He held out his left hand to Frank, knowing his situation.

Frank automatically started to raise his right arm, but then dropped it and shook the doctor's hand with his left. 

"You ready to get outta that thing?" Jim asked, gesturing to the wheelchair.

Frank smiled slightly. "Yeah."

Jim smiled back, and gently pulled Frank up out of the chair, as Frank hadn't the strength to get up on his own. 

Once standing—for the first time since his injury—Frank's knees buckled, but the therapist was ready for it and held onto him tightly. He brought him a few steps over to the parallel bars.

"How's your arm right now? Is it numb?"

"No," Frank said, swaying and breathing heavily with the effort of trying to remain upright.

"Why didn't he stop there?" Alex asked the doctor. "Frank obviously can't handle it yet!"

"He _has_ to do it," the doc explained. "The longer we wait, the harder it'll be."

It was almost as difficult for them to watch Frank as it was for poor Frank to walk. The therapist helped him to stand between the bars, but he was too weak to hold himself up, so Jim had to help hold him there, as Frank tried to walk.

It was extremely slow going, and Frank seemed to not be handling it well, breathing heavier and heavier until Jim told him to stop, to catch his breath. 

Frank obeyed gratefully, sighing in frustration over his slow progress. 

"How long they gonna keep this up?" Jake asked the doctor.

Before he had a chance to answer, they suddenly saw Frank drop to the floor. They ran over to where he sat, his left hand on his head and his right arm in his lap; shaking his fingers in an effort to stop the tingling they knew was obviously there.

Jim quickly knelt next to Frank, grabbing him on one side as the doctor grabbed him on the other. He shook his head, angry at himself. He'd relaxed his grip on Frank for only a second, but it turned out to be the _wrong_ second. He hadn't expected him to drop like a rock, too fast for him to even try to catch him. Frank was obviously still too weak to hold himself up with _two _arms, nevermind one, when his other had been struck by the numbness. 

"Frank?" Monica said, worriedly.

Frank said nothing; eyes closed tightly, his hand still resting atop the bandage around his head. Realizing that he was in pain, they were quiet as they let him rest there for a minute. 

Finally he opened his eyes, with a shaky sigh. He tried to lift his right arm, but the numbness was spreading, instead of diminishing.

"I think that's enough for today," the doctor said, looking at Jim.

"I agree," said the therapist. 

Helping Frank up, they gently sat him in the wheelchair. 

"Tomorrow?" Jim asked.

The doctor nodded. 

"Okay." Jim put a hand on Frank's left arm. "Don't worry, it'll get easier."

Frank sighed, not looking convinced.

********************

Frank's therapy continued, and he was slowly regaining some strength. He still couldn't walk unsupported, but he was able to stand for a short time without help. 

His right leg was weaker then his left, and he limped slightly on it. The doctor assured them that the limp would disappear if he remained diligent with his therapy.

The team had asked Frank if he remembered his mother, to find to their dismay that he didn't.

"What do we do now?" Alex asked. "His mother should be here at a time like this."

"I can keep looking," Cody suggested.

They shrugged, knowing that that was the only thing that could be done.

"What's her name?" they heard.

They looked at Frank to see that he wasn't asleep, as they had thought. He was looking at them intently, eager to regain a lost memory. His bandage was off, and they could still see the staples along the incision, but his hair was quickly growing back on that side, so it didn't look so bad. 

"Her name is Alanur, Frank," said Alex. "We don't know that much about her though, we only met her once."

"Oh," Frank said, disappointed. 

"She has long, wavy, black hair," Jake told him. "She's about 5'5. Pretty lady."

Frank smiled.

"She dotes on you, Frank," said Monica. "You're her pride and joy."

Frank's smile got bigger, before starting to fade. "But I don't remember her," he said, sadly.

Everyone sighed. 

"I…remember _you_," he said to the team. "In a way. I know I know you, you look familiar now, but…" he shrugged. "I couldn't remember your names, and _how_ I knew you."

"It'll all come back to you, boss," said Cody.

Frank looked at him, with a frown. "Boss?"

Everyone suddenly realized that they'd only told Frank he was their friend, not mentioning work at all, wanting to keep the stress of it away from him at such a time. 

"I guess we left something important out," Jake said, with a sigh. "You're our boss; you head a unit of agents that go undercover to catch wanted criminals."

Frank looked shocked, to hear that. 

"We're the whole team," Alex said. "You've been our boss for almost two years."

Frank said nothing, trying to think. For a second it sounded familiar, but then it was gone, as soon as it had come. He sighed heavily.

"Frank?" Monica said, in concern.

He said nothing, raising a hand to rub an eye. He didn't think to use his left instead of his right, and it abruptly went numb, dropping back to the bed. With a growl, he slammed his left fist into the mattress in frustration, but then had to close his eyes when the motion sent a wave of pain through his head.

"Oh Frank," said Alex, patting his left arm, hoping to calm him down.

"Don't," Frank said, his voice sounding strangely choked up.

No one knew what to do, unused to Frank Donovan showing emotion. He was never a man who displayed fear openly, or sadness; he never pitied himself or gave up. What they were seeing now was the _human_ Frank Donovan, rather then the 'machine', and they realized that the injury was the reason; Frank didn't remember his usual behavior.

"It'll be all right, Frank," Monica said.

Frank said nothing, sighing again, and seeming to fall asleep. 

Jake took the remote that controlled the bed's position, and hit the button that made it lower itself, so he wasn't sleeping sitting up.

"I have an idea," Cody whispered. 

"What?" everyone asked, interested.

"I'll go to his apartment and get some pictures, ones with his mother and grandfather and stuff."

"Great idea!" said Alex, smiling.

"Go _now_," Monica demanded.

"Yes, ma'am!" Cody said, and ran out the door.

********************

Frank awoke to soft laughter. Opening his eyes, he looked to see what was so funny.

"This is the cutest one," Alex said. "He was the most adorable child!"

"I like the one with him and Alanur," said Monica. "What a tiny baby he was!"

When Frank heard the name 'Alanur', he knew it was familiar somehow, but he didn't quite remember the conversation they'd had. 

"Frank! You're awake."

Looking up, he saw the team come closer to him, holding something in their hands.

"Cody went and got pictures," said Alex. "We can show you your family."

Frank's eyebrows shot up, and he looked around for the control that made the bed rise. Monica found it, and hit the appropriate button that would sit Frank up.

Frank smiled his thanks, and took the pictures she handed him. 

"That's my favorite," she said.

Frank looked at the picture. It showed a woman holding a baby. She was smiling ear to ear, her long dark hair flying in the wind. "My mother?" he asked.

Everyone nodded. "Alanur Bay Donovan."

Frank stared at it for a minute, trying to remember her. Suddenly he had a fleeting image of himself…

_He was standing on hot sand, with the sun glaring in his eyes. He was a child, holding a wooden sword, and fighting with another boy a little older then him. Suddenly he tripped somehow, and the other boy accidentally hit him in the face with the sword._

_"Amma!" the boy yelled, running a short distance away._

_From where he sat on the sand, Frank saw a woman come out of a tent, and run to him. It was Alanur, his mother._

_She quickly knelt and took his face in her hands, looking at the scratch on his cheek. "Keyf ilhehl?" she asked._

_Frank nodded. "Aywa."_

_Alanur smiled, and kissed him on the forehead._

"Frank?! Cody, go get a doctor…" 

Frank blinked, suddenly realizing that he'd zoned out. For how long, he had no idea. "Bi kheyr," he said.

Everyone looked at him funny. "Huh?" Jake asked.

Frank began to shake his head, but stopped a split second into it. "I'm fine. I had a flashback…" he frowned. "What language was that?" he seemingly asked himself.

"You grew up in Egypt," said Alex. "That was Egyptian Arabic."

Frank looked at her, amazed. "I saw myself, in the desert, as a child. I was fighting another boy with a wooden sword, and…my mother was there."

Everyone smiled ear to ear, overjoyed that Frank had remembered something. 

"This is wonderful, Frank!" Monica exclaimed. "It's a sign you're brain is healing!"

At that, Frank gave a very _human_ smile. It made everyone's hearts feel a little lighter.

"Keyf ilhehl?" Egyptian Arabic for, "Are you all right?"

"Aywa." : "Yes."

"Bi kheyr." : "I'm fine."


	6. Alanur Bay Donovan

"Jake! I did it!"

Jake frowned, holding his cell phone with one hand while driving with the other. "Did what?"

"I found Alanur!"

Jake almost jammed on his brakes. "What?! How?"

Cody's voice had the excited tone of a child jumping up and down. "By looking through plane passenger lists! She flew to England the day before Frank's…accident."

Jake shook his head. "You've been going through plane passenger lists? How the heck did you manage to find the one she was on! Which airline did you even know to check?"

"Well," said Cody. "I checked the airline that Frank uses the most. I figured he'd mostly use whichever one he grew up using, which would naturally be the one his mother prefers, right?"

"Yeah," Jake agreed, nodding his head. "You deserve 10 points for that one."

"I agree," Cody sighed, sounding pleased with himself.

"Okay, how do we notify her in England…" Jake asked.

"We don't have to," said Cody.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, pulling into the hospital.

"Her flight into Chicago lands today!"

"Oh man," said Jake, parking. "That sounds too good to be true!"

"Yeah," Cody agreed. 

"What time's her plane landing?"

"9am!"

"What?!" Jake said, getting out and closing his door. "That's in half an hour!"

"Yup! I'm already almost at the airport."

Jake smiled, as he walked into the hospital. "Great, I won't tell Frank. Maybe the surprise of seeing her will bring his memory back."

"Good idea. I'll pick her up and bring her there asap."

"Ok." Jake hung up his phone, and stuck it into his pocket, shaking his head at their amazing luck. As he entered Frank's hospital room, he found Monica and Alex already there.

Alex looked up and smiled at him, but it quickly disappeared when she saw the excited look on his face. "What?" she whispered, since Frank was still asleep.

Monica watched, puzzled, as Jake said something too soft for her to hear.

 Alex's eyes opened wide and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. 

"What, what?" said Monica.

Alex jumped up, whispering in her ear so Frank couldn't possibly hear. 

"Yessss!" Monica exclaimed, loudly. Then she covered her own mouth when Frank stirred. 

Frank opened his eyes slowly, noting with relief that his head hurt less today. He looked at his three team members, to see them staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Monica said, shaking her head.

Before Frank had a chance to ask her what they were hiding, he realized someone was missing. "Where's Jake?"

Jake frowned. "Right here."

Frank closed his eyes, with a heavy sigh. "I mean Cody."

"He had to do some errands, he'll be in a little while," Jake told him.

Frank nodded carefully, shifting to a more comfortable position. "Has the doctor told you when I'm getting out of here?"

"Uh…" said Jake. The doctor told them something different each time they asked, based on how well Frank was doing at the time of the question.

"I had a feeling you'd say that," said Frank, closing his eyes. 

Everyone was quiet then, as he fell back to sleep. 

_"We're being attacked!"_

_Five-year-old Frank looked up as an 8-year-old boy—the same one he'd been playing with the wooden swords with—ran over to him, grabbing his arm and yanking on it. _

_Frank stood, looking around frantically for his mother. Suddenly he was swooped up by a strong pair of arms, and deposited in a tent._

_"Stay here!" Ardeth Bay told them._

_"Leh-kin, Gidd…!" the other boy protested._

_Ardeth stopped, shaking his head. "No, Walid! Watch over him," he said, pointing to Frank. With that, he ran out._

_Frank fearfully looked at his friend. He was always terrified when they were attacked. He didn't quite understand the concept of death yet, but he knew that after these things happened, there were some people he never saw again…_

"Frank!" 

_Mother? _Frank thought. His eyes flew open, to see Alanur's face over him, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. 

Alanur grabbed her son, hugging him tightly.

Frank hugged her back, wracking his brain to see if he truly remembered her, or if it was merely recognition from seeing her in the pictures.

Frank's team carefully watched, nervously wondering if Alanur's appearance had brought back the 'real' Frank Donovan.

It was a long time before Alanur pulled back. When she did, she put her hands on either side of Frank's face.

"My baby!" she cried, looking in horror at the still-visible incision.

"I'm all right," he told her.

But Alanur shook her head, at the obvious signs of his ill health. "Ib-nee…" she murmured, hugging him again.

_What did she just say? _Frank asked himself. His heart fell when he couldn't think of it.

Suddenly Alanur pulled back, looking at him fearfully. "Do you know who I am?"

Frank stared at her. She still looked very much like the younger Alanur of the pictures. Her hair was still black, dyed, no doubt, and she had very little wrinkles. She didn't look old enough to be his mother. _But then again, how old am I? _

At his silence, Alanur gasped and muttered something else Frank didn't catch, covering her mouth with a hand. "Inta 'imil ma' mush! You don't remember me!" Tears filled her eyes, but before they fell, she noticed Frank frown when he heard the Arabic words. She lowered her hand.

"Fi-himt eyh ana yi-ool?" she asked.

Frank frowned, and looked away for a second. Alanur could see him thinking, and was silent, as she watched him.

"Ma mush…ketir?"

Alanur smiled, despite his answer. At least he remembered _some_, so far. 

Frank was still frowning, as if not sure he'd said it right.

"Dikha mazboot," she said. "That was correct, ib-nee."

Frank frowned when she said that word again, but suddenly he remembered what it meant, and smiled at her.

Alanur smiled back, at his quick progress.

The team stood by quietly, fascinated.

Suddenly a doctor walked into the room. He stopped dead when he saw Alanur. "Who are you?" he asked.

"It's all right, she's his mother," Jake told him.

The doctor smiled, at that. "I'm glad you found her," he said, looking at Alanur. "They went crazy looking for you these past weeks."

Alanur's face fell. "I should've been here." She felt Frank take her hand, and looked at him, with a smile. She suddenly had a thought, and looked at the doctor.

"When can my son leave?" she asked.

"Hard to say," he answered, vaguely. 

"I want to take him back to Egypt," she said. "Perhaps being there will bring back his memory."

The team looked at each other, as if to say, 'why didn't _we_ think of that?'

The doctor shook his head. "I don't think that would be wise as of yet. The cabin pressure in an airliner would cause him more harm then good, with a head injury like this."

Alanur sighed.

"Wait a sec," said Cody.

Everyone looked at him.

"What about one of the FBI's superjets? They go twice as fast as an airliner, and it can fly at a low altitude."

"He would need a medical professional with him at all times," said the doctor, still not liking the idea.

"The FBI will loan us someone, I'm sure," Cody countered. "Come on, with the success rate Frank has had with his cases, I'm sure the government would be happy to do what they can to help."

"But it might cause him more physical harm!" the doctor argued.

"Exactly how?" Alanur asked.

"The different air pressure could cause more bleeding!" he told them. 

"What if the nurse or whoever the FBI loans us keeps him sedated or something?" Jake asked.

"I _am_ in the room, you know," Frank suddenly interrupted. 

Cody laughed at that, and the team smiled at him. _That_ sounded like the 'normal' Frank Donovan. 

"So when can he leave, doc?" Alex asked.

The doctor shook his head. "He's still having physical therapy! I'll tell you what; he can leave when he can walk unsupported!"

At those words, Alanur's eyes filled with tears again, not having realized the state of her son's weakness. 

Frank saw her distress, and despite not being able to remember very much about her, he remembered his love for her, and squeezed her hand. 

Suddenly the doctor's beeper went off. He took it off his belt, and sighed at what he saw. "I'll be back," he said, making a quick exit.

Alanur looked at Frank again, putting a hand to his face. "Are you in pain?"

Frank started to shake his head, but it was an obvious lie when he abandoned that idea, trying to hide a wince. 

"How do you feel today, Frank?" Alex asked him. "Any stronger?"

Frank didn't, but he knew what Alex was _really_ asking. "Yeah," he answered, pushing the blankets back. 

Alanur shot a panicked look at her, afraid her son shouldn't be moving.

Jake and Cody both went over and helped Frank stand, holding onto him tightly until he was ready. 

Alanur hovered within reach, realizing they were trying to help Frank walk. The doctor's words echoed through her ears. _He can leave when he can walk unsupported! _As she watched her son take difficult steps, she couldn't stop the tears from sliding down her face. 

Monica put a hand on her arm. "He'll be all right," she whispered. "He was very lucky."

"But will he get his memory back?" Alanur knew that Monica couldn't answer that question, and felt foolish for asking it.

"Yes," Monica answered without hesitation, to Alanur's slight surprise. "He _will_ get it back. This is Frank Donovan we're talking about; the most stubborn man on Earth."

Alanur laughed a little at that one. "He got that from his grandfather." Suddenly her face changed. "I must send him a message…"

Her words trailed of when she saw Frank stumble, and nearly knock Cody over. Everyone rushed over to help him and he shook his head at them, but then closed his eyes in pain. 

They pulled him back over to the bed, and carefully sat him down. 

Frank kept his eyes closed for a minute, sighing heavily before he opened them. He saw his mother's sad face as she sat with a hand on his arm, and he weakly patted her hand.

"That was good, Frank," said Alex, knowing he'd wanted to try longer. 

"But not good enough," Frank answered. "At this rate I'll _never_ get out of here!"

"The _real_ Frank Donovan never gives up," said Cody. 

That statement got a reaction no one expected.

"Well, guess what? This _isn't_ the _real_ Frank Donovan anymore!" he exclaimed, but then groaned, as his raised voice did nothing but generate more pain for himself. 

Alanur wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head to rest on her shoulder as she held him tightly, gently rocking.

"Umm?" he whispered.

"Yes, baby?" Alanur smiled, at his use of the Egyptian Arabic word for 'mother'.

"Stay still," he said, her rocking making his head spin.

Alanur gasped, stopping quickly. 

Frank raised his head, and put a hand on it, blinking back the dizziness. Seeing her horrified expression, he gave her a weak smile, to show her he was all right.

"Sorry," he told everyone, feeling foolish at his outburst. 

Everyone smiled at him, hoping to make him feel better. 

"It's all right, Frank, we understand," said Monica.

"Yeah, if I was in your shoes I think I would've lost my mind by now," said Cody, earning dismayed looks from the others at his choice of words. 

"Leh-kin, Gidd!" Egyptian Arabic for, "But, Grandfather!"

"Ib-nee," : 'My son.'

"Inta 'imil ma' mush!" : "You don't!"

"Fi-himt eyh ana yi-ool?" : "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Ma mush ketir." : "Not much."

Hey everyone, I was reading your reviews this morning as I got ready for work, and I was so happy, that I made up this song of appreciation for you: 

"**My Reviewers**" (to the tune of 'Camptown Races', LOL)

Whose reviewers are the best?

Deana's, Deana's,

I'm not saying that in jest,

You really rule!

LOLOL thanks everyone! ;)


	7. Frank finally leaves the hospital! YAY!

From that day on, Frank did better at his physical therapy sessions, knowing that the faster he made progress, the sooner he could leave. He pushed himself to the limit to the dismay of the doctors, who had to warn him that there _is_ such a thing as going _too_ fast. 

Nevertheless, two weeks later, Frank was telling the doctor he was leaving. 

The doc said nothing at first, as he studied his patient. Frank's hair had already totally grown back—to everyone's surprise—and you couldn't see the site of his operation unless you knew where to look. But Frank still looked unwell; his skin was pale, and he was thinner and looked exhausted; proof of his still-present weakness, a thing Frank denied.

"I don't know what to do with you," the doctor said. "People with an injury like yours would not only remain here for possibly another month, but they would be restricted from going on a plane for at least 3 months _after_ they _do_ get out! Yet here you are, checking yourself out and hopping on the next plane to the other side of the world! Do you _want_ to risk another hematoma?"

It was a cruel question to ask Frank, who'd suffered greatly. He glared at the doctor, in a very Frank Donovan way. "I want to get my memory back."

Alanur sighed, sitting next to Frank on the side of the bed, absent-mindedly rubbing her son's back. She sighed, feeling fear at the doctor's words.

"The FBI already gave us the jet," said Jake. "As well as a doctor who specializes in head injuries, to fly with us." 

"Yeah," said Cody. "The pilot's gonna keep the altitude real low."

Monica and Alex said nothing, the two of them also nervous at the possible danger to Frank.

"Doctor," said Alanur. "In your professional opinion, is further bleeding likely, if he makes this trip?"

The doctor sighed and put his face in one hand, as if hoping they wouldn't ask that question. "I can't say for sure," he said, lowering his hand. "He has a 50/50 chance." 

"Which chance are you leaning towards?" Monica asked. "Yes, or no?"

"I can't answer that!" said the doc. "If I said 'no', and it _did_ happen…"

Everyone was silent, understanding what he meant. 

"Uh," said Cody. "I couldn't help but notice you picked 'no' as your example. Does that mean you think it won't happen?"

The doctor groaned.

Cody shrugged at everyone's exasperated looks, as if to say, 'sorry'. 

Frank suddenly stood. "I need to sign papers, right?" A second later he wished he hadn't asked that question, as it only showed how extensive his memory loss was. 

"Right," the doc sighed, turning to leave the room. 

Frank followed him out; glad the distance to the desk was short. The receptionist handed him a paper and pen, and pointed to where he had to sign. 

Frank took it carefully, hoping his arm wouldn't go numb, as he prepared to sign the paper. As he started, he hesitated. _How does the 'real' Frank Donovan write his signature? _He hoped it would come automatically, so he started to write. When he was about to sign his last name, he realized he couldn't remember how to spell it.

Alanur and Alex noticed there was something wrong, but before either of them had a chance to say anything, Frank wrote it, and gave the paper back to the receptionist. Looking around, he hoped no one had noticed that he'd had to read the paper to find the spelling of his last name. He felt like an idiot, and had to force away the anger he felt, at his situation. 

The doctor brought a wheelchair over, and motioned for Frank to sit in it. 

Frank opened his mouth to refuse, but then re-thought it, knowing it'd probably be a very long walk, and if he wasn't able to make it they probably wouldn't let him leave. 

He held out his hand, to the doctor. "Thanks for everything." 

"You're welcome," the doctor said, shaking his hand. "Take care of yourself, I don't want to see you back here anytime soon…"

Frank smiled at that. "The feeling is mutual." 

Everyone laughed at that, as Frank sat in the wheelchair. 

"Thank you so much!" said Alanur, taking the doc's hand. "For taking care of my son."

"You're welcome, ma'am," the doc said, patting her hand.

When they finally walked away, Frank sighed in relief. 

Alanur pushed her son's wheelchair the whole way, and when they reached the lobby Frank told her to stop. 

She obeyed, watching curiously as Frank got up, and held his arm out to her with a smile. She smiled back as she took it, and they walked towards the door.

"Wait here," Jake told Frank. "While I go get my truck." 

"I don't want to stay in this place a minute longer than I have to," Frank answered, walking out the door.

Once in the parking lot, Frank looked around, trying to spot Jake's truck. To his dismay, he couldn't figure out which one it was, and he felt annoyed at himself as he followed him. 

When Frank realized which vehicle Jake was heading towards, he frowned. As they reached it, he stared at it, trying to bring up any memory he could that involved it. 

Not a single one came to mind.

"Oh," said Jake. "Hey Frank, how do you like it? I finally traded in my Blazer."

Frank blinked. "You mean I never saw this truck before?" 

"Yeah," said Jake.

Frank smiled, relieved. "Good."

"It's the new TrailBlazer," Jake said, proudly, as he opened the door for Frank.

"It's nice," Frank said, as he got in, his mother climbing in next to him and Alex and Monica sitting in the third row.

"I get the front seat!" Cody exclaimed. 

As Jake left the hospital parking lot, Frank watched the scenery out the window, hoping against hope that he'd recognize the area, or something. 

Unfortunately he didn't, and when the fast-passing scenery started making him dizzy he closed his eyes, leaning back against the seat.

"Frank?" his mother said, softly.

Frank realized his action could be interpreted badly. "I'm all right," he said, looking at her. 

Alanur gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Where are we going?" he asked Jake. 

"Your place," Jake told him. "You gotta rest up before we take the flight."

Frank noticed the word 'we' and it made him smile. It felt good to see just how much people cared. "When do we leave?"

"Not sure yet," said Jake. "To tell you the truth, I didn't expect the docs to let you out today."

Frank looked out the window again. "Is our workplace in this direction?"

"Yeah," Jake answered.

"Could we go there first?" 

Everyone exchanged glances. Maybe seeing The Nest would bring Frank's memory back!

"Only if it's all right with your mother," Jake said, getting a laugh from Cody.

Frank smiled, and looked at Alanur, who smiled back.

"It's fine with me, Jake," she said. "But he can only stay a little while before he has to come home and go to bed."

Everyone laughed at that, and Frank closed his eyes again. When he next opened them, it was when he felt a hand on his arm.

"We're here, Frank," said Alanur.

Frank got out of the SUV, and stood; looking at the building they were parked at. It was a big warehouse; nothing fancy, nothing special. It made sense, to Frank, to hide a government operation in such a place. 

Everyone watched him as he stared at it. No one spoke, not wanting to intrude on his thoughts. 

Frank eventually started walking towards the stairs and they all followed, again watching him as he looked around like he'd never been there before. 

Frank slowly walked around the main area, trying desperately to remember something. He saw the mass of computers, and went over to them.

Cody gasped when Frank touched one of the keyboards, as if afraid he would damage it in some way.

Walking over to the table, Frank saw a folder there. He picked it up, and opened it. 

Jake and Alex looked at each other, with an ironic look. The folder contained the case they'd been working on when Frank had gotten hurt. 

Frank read the profile on the man, and saw that it didn't sound familiar at all. He put the folder down and went back over to the group. "My office?" he inquired. He'd almost asked if he _had_ an office, but then realized he _must_ have one, if he's their leader. 

"Upstairs," Jake said, pointing. 

Frank followed his finger, and didn't hide the look that crossed his face fast enough; a look that plainly said, 'I don't wanna climb more stairs!' He walked over, and slowly started to ascend them.

The others followed, seeing that he was quickly tiring. Jake caught up with him and took his arm, assisting him in the climb. 

When they reached the top, Frank was upset to see that nothing looked familiar. He walked into the room, and approached the desk. 

Everyone stood just outside the door, watching quietly. 

Frank sat in the chair, and looked at his desk. There were no pictures, no special items, nothing that screamed, 'this desk belongs to Frank Donovan!' Perhaps the lack of atmosphere is what _made_ it his. The only thing on the desk that wasn't an office item was a coffee mug. Turning it around, he read the words written on it. 'You're only as old as you feel.' 

Everyone came further into the room when they heard him laugh. 

Frank turned the mug around so they could see the words. "According to this, I must be 85 years old."

Cody laughed. "_I_ bought you that. It was a joke, because you've been getting hurt a lot on cases lately…ooof!"

Monica pulled back the elbow she'd shoved into Cody's ribs. "Do you remember anything yet, Frank?"

Frank's face changed from looking amused, to looking defeated. "No," he said, softly.

Everyone sighed, exchanging unhappy glances. 

"It'll all come back to you, dear," Alanur said, patting his arm. "Maybe while we're in Egypt."

Frank sighed and slumped back in his seat, his still-present weakness quickly catching up to him. 

"Let's get you home," Alanur said, tugging on his arm to get him out of the chair. 

Frank obeyed, submitting quietly when Jake and his mother took his arms, to lead him out. 


	8. Onward to Egypt we go!

Everyone piled into Jake's new truck again, and they were once more on their way to Frank's apartment. 

When they pulled up to the building and got out, Frank's eyes were drawn to a shiny new silver car that was parked nearby. 

"Frank?" said Alex, sounding excited when she saw what he was looking at.

"Whose car is that? It's nice."

Alex's face fell, but then she smirked. "It's _yours_."

Frank's eyebrow shot up, and he walked over to the beautiful Volvo S80. Peering inside, he couldn't help but smile. 

"Oh no, Frank, don't you be getting any ideas!" said his mother.

Frank looked at her.

Alanur smiled, shaking her head. "When he got his first car, I went with him to pick it up," she told everyone. "My wonderful, good-head-on-his-shoulders son got in, started it up, and immediately jumped onto the highway; proceeding to show me just how fast that car could go."

Monica gasped. "Did he have much experience yet?"

Alanur nodded. "When I said his first car, I meant his first 'new' one. My Frankie was always such a good driver," she said, patting his cheek. "That's why I didn't expect him to do that."

Frank couldn't help but smile, even though he couldn't remember the incident.

"Nobody's perfect," said Cody, as they started for the door.

When they walked into the apartment, Frank was surprised at what he saw. His desk at work may have lacked personality, but his apartment was very nicely furnished. Taking into account his nice car and home, he suddenly realized that he must make a pretty good amount of money. 

But still, nothing seemed familiar. 

Frank walked over to the couch and sat down, too overwhelmed with everything to deal with exploring his apartment for memories. 

Alanur went into the kitchen, prepared to cook and get some food into her boy. Looking in the fridge and cabinets, she didn't find anything suitable. Going back into the livingroom, she approached her son.

"What would you like to eat, Frank?" she asked him.

Everyone looked at him, wondering if he'd remember his partiality to Chinese food. 

Frank thought for a minute. "A peanut butter and banana sandwich."

If he'd been paying attention, Frank would've seen everyone's mouths drop open. 

"Did Frank just say what I _think_ he said?" Monica whispered to Alex, who nodded.

Alanur was the only one smiling. She ran back into the kitchen, only to come back a minute later, empty handed. "You have no bananas," she said.

"Oh," Frank replied. 

Everyone looked at Alanur, askance.

She suddenly noticed the surprised looks on their faces. "Frank loved to eat peanut butter and bananas when he was a child."

The team's confused looks turned into smiles. 

"I'll go buy some bananas," said Monica.

"I have an idea," said Jake. "How about you pick up some Chinese? Maybe Frank'll remember it."

Monica nodded, and left.

********************

"Why?"

Alex shrugged. "I have no idea why Chinese people eat with chopsticks, Frank."

Frank made a face, as he looked at the chopsticks he was holding. "How do they pick up the rice?"

"Like this," said Cody, who stuck his chopsticks into his fried rice and took some out, dropping it all, on the way to his mouth.

Everyone chuckled, including Frank.

"Forks are easier," Jake said.

Cody suddenly looked at Jake, with a goofy look on his face. "Got any flied lice?"

Jake smiled, knowing the answer he was looking for. "It's fried rice, you plick!"*

Alex and Monica laughed, while Frank frowned.

"What's a 'plick'?" he asked.

Cody started choking on his food, and Monica had to whack him on the back as everyone busted out laughing.

Frank merely looked at everyone as if they were insane, as they laughed. With a shrug, he resumed eating.

As Frank ate, everyone couldn't help but watch him. Unfortunately, he didn't recall Chinese having been his favorite food, but nobody told him which dish he liked best, wondering if he'd remember it.

"What do you like the most, Frank?" Monica asked.

Frank swallowed before he answered. "That," he said, pointing to the sweet&sour chicken.

Everyone broke into huge smiles.

Frank frowned. "What?"

"That's your favorite," said Alex. "Sweet and sour chicken."

Frank smiled, considering that progress. 

"I bet they didn't feed you food this good in the hospital," said Cody.

"No, they didn't," Frank agreed, with a yawn.

"Uh oh, looks like it's past someone's bedtime," Cody added. 

Alanur rose from her seat, taking her son's arm. "Go take a nap, dear."

Frank nodded sleepily, letting her lead him to his room.

Alex and Jake exchanged glances. "When do we leave for Egypt?" Alex asked.

Jake shrugged, looking towards Frank's room. "Not sure. How long you think we should let him rest up for?"

"A few months," said Monica.

Everyone looked at her.

"But we can't wait that long, so a few days, I guess."

Alanur came out of Frank's room, approaching the table. "He's asleep already."

Alex sighed, at Alanur's sad look. "He'll be fine," she told her, as she sat back at the table.

Alanur nodded, not answering.

********************

A few days later, they were all standing at a private runway at the Chicago/O'Hare airport, ready to board the FBI jet.

Frank had been pretty quiet so far that day, but no one paid it much heed, thinking perhaps that he was nervous about whether or not he'd regain his memory in his homeland.

But the truth was, Frank had woken up with his head aching more today then it had the past few days. He was extremely annoyed, for his head had hurt every single day since his injury, and he couldn't stand it anymore. 

"Frank?"

Frank came back to reality to see his mother gesturing for him to go up the steps to the plane. He obeyed, with faithful Jake holding onto his arm so he couldn't possibly trip.

When they stepped into the plane, Frank was surprised at the interior. It looked like the inside of a house, rather then a plane. There was a couch, love seat, TV, a fridge…

"Wow," Cody exclaimed. "A person could _live_ in this thing."

"For the next several hours, you're going to," said a female voice.

Turning, they saw a woman standing nearby.

"You the doctor or the pilot?" Jake asked, not able to tell by the suit she was wearing. 

She smiled. "The doctor." She reached a hand to touch Frank's arm. "And this is the patient," she stated, rather then asked.

"Frank Donovan," Frank told her.

"I know your name."

Frank frowned. "Have we ever met?"

She shook her head. "My name is Angela, and no, we don't know each other." She smiled again. "Well, we do now, actually!" She took his arm, leading him further into the plane. "Why don't you lie down, the plane will be taking off soon."

Alanur and Frank's team followed them, sitting on the couches and chairs as Frank sat on the bed that had been placed nearby.

The plane's pilot came into the cabin then, and saw that everyone had boarded. "Frank?"

Frank looked at him, and frowned as the man came closer.

"Do you remember me?" the pilot asked.

Frank sighed inwardly. He felt like he was hurting everyone's feelings when he said 'no'.

Frank's hesitation was all the answer the pilot needed. "Oh man. This really stinks." He sighed, himself. "We attended the police academy together, when we were both all of 22 years old."

Frank thought harder. Everyone saw the effort he was putting into it, and when they saw him wince and rub his forehead, they all winced too.

"It's all right, Frank," the still-unnamed pilot said, walking closer. "I understand. Don't hurt yourself, or something," he said, seeing that thinking so hard was obviously painful for Frank.

Frank sighed, still rubbing his forehead. He lowered his hand, and looked at the friend he couldn't remember. "Sorry."

"Sam," the pilot said. "Don't be sorry, Frank, it isn't your fault."

Frank sighed again, and looked down.

Sam patted his friend's shoulder, and looked at the others. "We'll be taking off in a few minutes."

Everyone nodded, sitting back down, Alanur moving to sit on the bed with Frank.

Angela got to work. "Take these," she said, handing Frank two pills.

Frank was so used to taking medicine, that he took them from her without question.

As Frank popped them into his mouth, Alanur threw a glance at the doctor. "What were those?" she asked, nervously.

"Sedatives," said Angela. "If we're to minimize the risk of further bleeding, he needs to be kept still and quiet."

Suddenly the plane's engines came to life, and everyone sat down. 

Angela took out a blood pressure cuff, and proceeded to fasten it around Frank's arm. After taking the reading, she slung the stethoscope around her neck, leaving the cuff on Frank, who started to remove it.

"No," said Angela, stopping him. "You have to leave it on. It's my best tool on this flight; if your blood pressure drops, it may be an indication of bleeding."

Frank blinked sleepily, the fast-acting sedatives already starting to take effect.

Alanur gently tugged on his arm, to get him to lie down. 

Frank submitted gladly, closing his eyes and keeping them that way.

The plane finished taxi-ing, and slowly left the ground, quickly gaining altitude. 

Cody dashed over to the window, watching gleefully. "I love planes!" he exclaimed.

The plane straightened out, and the rest of the team got up to look out the window. They were relieved to see that Sam kept the plane at a pretty low altitude. 

Turning back, Alex and Jake walked back to the couch, watching as Angela took the sleeping Frank's blood pressure again. 

She saw their nervous expressions. "His BP is stable so far."

Everyone smiled, in relief.

* That hysterical quote was from 'Lethal Weapon 4'. Mel Gibson was making fun of a Chinese badguy when he said that, but it ended up backfiring on the guy with his answer, LOLOL! 


	9. Chaotic Flight

A few hours later found Jake and Cody watching TV, while Alex and Monica sat near one of the windows, talking quietly. 

Frank was still asleep, having not moved from his spot. Alanur was lying next to him quietly, remembering Frank as a child. If she closed her eyes and listened to him breathe as he slept, she could pretend that it was 25 years ago, and was cuddling with her little boy. 

Suddenly she experienced what felt like vertigo and her stomach felt like it dropped through the floor. She opened her eyes, sitting up.

Frank's team leaped up from their seats when they felt the same thing. 

"What was that?!" Alanur exclaimed.

"We lost altitude," Angela said, quickly checking Frank's blood pressure.

Jake ran towards the cockpit, and burst through. "What happened?"

Sam glanced at him. "A microburst! It clipped the right wing. Look, we're flying right into a storm."

Jake saw the ominous black clouds above them. "What do we do?"

Sam shook his head. "If we were flying under normal circumstances, I'd go above it…"

Jake realized what the pilot meant. If they went over the storm, the cabin pressure created by the higher altitude could cause another hematoma in Frank's still-recovering brain. 

"How much higher you think we'd have to go?" he asked, as lightning lit up the sky before them.

"Probably about a thousand feet."

"Crap," said Jake, with a sigh. "Do you think the storm is bad?"

Before Sam had a chance to answer, a lightning bolt shot in front of the plane, and thunder reverberated around them, making the plane shudder.

"Don't answer that," said Jake. "I'll be right back."

Turning, he ran back into the cabin, and over to Angela. "Is he all right?"

Angela nodded. "His BP hasn't changed significantly."

"Significantly?" Jake echoed.

Angela removed the stethoscope again. "It's lowered some since he fell asleep. That's normal."

Jake nodded, with a sigh. "Okay, this is the situation. We've flown into a—"

A flash and a tremendous clap of thunder interrupted him.

"Storm," said Cody.

"Sam said that we need to climb 1000 feet to get above it," said Jake. "Can Frank handle that?"

Angela gave him a horrified look. "No! That could prove disastrous!"

Suddenly the plane rocked, as a lightning bolt came dangerously close. 

Jake quickly went back to the cockpit, with a sigh. "The doc says no, about the altitude climb. How long would we have to stay that high?"

"Not long," Sam told him. "I _have_ to make the climb. This thing will get fried if we don't!" With that, he pulled back on the steering wheel, heading towards the clouds. "We're nearly over the Atlantic Ocean, we should only be up here for about ten minutes."

Jake sighed. "The second we clear this storm…"

Sam nodded. "Right."

Jake went back into the cabin to find everyone hovering around the bed, as Angela continued to constantly take the sleeping-soundly Frank's blood pressure. 

"So far, he seems to be all right," she told Jake. 

"How long are we gonna stay at this altitude?" Alex asked.

"About ten minutes," Jake answered, looking at the doctor.

Angela shook her head, with a sigh.

As the plane flew upwards through the clouds, another lightning bolt shot by, making the aircraft rock again with the resulting thunder.

Everyone looked at Frank when they heard a soft groan. He opened his eyes, but quickly closed them again. "What's all the noise?" he mumbled, sounding half asleep.

Alanur put a hand on his arm. "We flew into a storm, dear. Go back to sleep."

Frank winced again when the extremely loud thunder sounded once more, and mumbled something before drifting off again; the sedatives not ready to relinquish their hold on him.

The plane straightened, a clue that they were now above the clouds. 

Angela checked Frank's blood pressure again, and everyone quietly seemed to count the minutes.

After nine minutes, Jake went back to the cockpit.

"Yup," is all Sam said, pushing forward on the steering wheel, descending back down through the clouds. "Is Frank all right?"

Jake nodded, with a sigh of relief. "Yeah, he's holding up."

"Thank God," said Sam. "We're now over the Atlantic."

"Great," said Jake. "I hope the rest of this flight goes smoothly." 

********************

To everyone's relief, the rest of the flight passed without incident. About a half hour before they were due to land, Frank woke up.

Alanur had gone to the fridge for a drink, and saw him shift on the bed. "Frank?" she said, walking over and putting a hand on his arm to prevent him from further movement, as Angela checked his blood pressure.

Frank opened his eyes, blinking up at everyone groggily. He looked at his surroundings like he didn't know where he was.

"We're on the plane, Frank," said Monica, seeing his confusion.

"Plane?" Frank said, frowning. Suddenly realization dawned. "Oh."

"Looks like those were some pretty strong pills!" said Cody. 

"How do you feel?" Angela asked him.

Frank closed his eyes, covering them with a hand. "My head is _killing_ me."

Angela frowned at that, and checked his blood pressure again. "Did it hurt this badly this morning?"

"No," Frank said, a hand still covering his eyes. "But it was worse then the past few days."

"BP is still stable," Angela said. "You're pushing your body too far, too soon. You really shouldn't've taken this flight."

Frank said nothing, knowing she was right.

"I don't think the sedatives should've made your pain worse," Angela continued. "It must be the cabin pressure, especially the pressure changes we experienced earlier."

Frank didn't ask what she meant, hardly noticing what she'd said.

"Here," Angela said, handing him another pill.

Alanur, still beside her son on the bed, helped him sit up as he gratefully took the pain medication. 

Suddenly Sam's voice was heard over the speakers. "We're ready to land, people."

Everyone sat again, anticipating the landing. 

Frank lay down again, wanting nothing more then to get off the plane. 

When they finally landed and Frank's BP was still stable, everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief, thankful that Frank had made the trip in one piece. 


	10. Welcome to Egypt!

The plane taxied to a stop, and everyone quickly got up, Jake again assisting Frank down the plane's steps.

When they got to the bottom, they stood there, looking around. It was very hot. 

"Hey Frank," said Sam. "I hope this trip does what we hope, and you get your memory back."

Frank gave a half-smile. "Me too. Thanks," he said, holding out his hand.

The pilot smiled back, and shook it. "Jake," Sam said. "You know where to call when you're ready to leave."

Jake nodded. "Yup."

Alanur grabbed Angela's arm. "Thank you for taking care of my son," she said.

Angela smiled, patting her hand. "You're welcome. Take care of yourself, Mr. Donovan."

"I will. Thanks," Frank answered, watching as she and Sam went back into the plane. 

"Come," said Alanur. "There should be a car waiting for us."

Everyone followed her, wondering who had sent it. 

"I called the curator of the Museum of Antiquities," Alanur told them, as if reading their minds. "I asked him to send a car and to tell my father we were coming." She sighed. "Oh Frank, I hope you remember your grandfather."

Frank sighed, not answering. He was still groggy from the sedatives, and combining that, the pain, and the heat, he felt like a zombie.

Alanur spotted the car, and they all piled in.

"Oh, Amjad! It is so good to see you!" Alanur said, embracing the driver.

"Likewise, my dear!" Amjad answered. Looking in the backseat, he smiled at Frank.

"This is the curator of the museum, Frank," Alanur said.

Frank noticed that she didn't ask if he remembered him. "Nice to meet you," Frank said.

Amjad smiled. "Same here." As he sat forward again, he looked at Alanur as if to say, 'wow', amazed to see someone he'd known so long not recognize him. 

The drive to the Cairo hotel was short, and they quickly checked in and went up to their rooms. Alex and Monica shared one, while Jake and Cody shared another, and Alanur kept Frank with her. 

They all assembled in Alanur's room first, where Frank immediately lay down and put a pillow over his head. 

Everyone looked at him, still not quite used to his 'non-Frank Donovan' behavior. 

"You okay, Frank?" Alex asked.

Frank didn't answer, and Alanur picked the pillow off his head to see that he was fast asleep.

"Poor guy," said Cody.

Alanur sighed, sitting on the other bed. "We should all get some sleep. The ride to the Med-jai camp will be a long one, through the hot desert."

"When do we leave?" Jake asked.

Looking at Frank, Alanur shrugged. "Tomorrow."

Everyone nodded at her, and filed out the door. 

Alanur lay down on her bed with a sigh, as she watched her sleeping son.

********************

The next morning came all too soon to the jet-lagged travelers. They were all assembled in Alanur and Frank's room, waiting for him to awaken.

Alex and Monica watched as Alanur paced, whether from nervousness or excitement, they weren't sure. 

"I hope I have that much energy and look that good when I'm her age," Alex whispered, to Monica.

Monica smiled. "I second that. Alanur? What's wrong?"

Frank's mother stopped, facing them. "Nothing," she insisted. She smiled, sitting in a chair. "I'm just impatient to see my father."

"Has it been a while since you saw him last?" Monica asked.

Alanur nodded. "I saw him before I went to England, a few months ago." She sighed. "He's very old, and I…" she shrugged. "Who knows how much time _any_ of us has."

Before Alex or Monica had a chance to say anything else, movement from Frank caught their eye.

Alanur got up and crossed to him, grasping his arm to prevent him from moving too quickly. "Good morning!" she said, cheerily.

Frank mumbled at her, eyes still closed.

Alanur smiled. "I didn't catch that, Frank."

Frank mumbled again, this time a little louder.

Cody chuckled, none of them able to figure out what he'd said. 

Alanur shrugged. "We have to go soon, Frank. How do you feel?"

Frank didn't answer, and this time Alanur frowned, getting nervous. "Frank," she said, loudly. 

Frank winced and started to move again, and Alanur helped him turn over from his stomach onto his back. 

"Frank," she said, again, sounding scared. "Open your eyes!"

Frank obeyed her, squinting in the sunlight streaming in from the windows. 

"Are you all right?" Alanur asked, her voice sounding slightly shaky.

"Yeah," Frank told her, with a sigh. He was tempted to close his eyes and cover his face with a pillow, but he didn't want to worry his mother over his pain.

Alanur breathed her own sigh. 

"No offense, but you don't look too good, Frank," said Monica, concerned over his difficulty in waking.

"I'm fine," Frank told her, slowly sitting up. His hair was sticking out in all directions, and if the circumstances were different, his team would be tempted to laugh. "If you'll all leave I'll get dressed," he said.

"Whoops," said Alex, doing an about-face and heading for the door, the rest of them following her.

Frank heard a whispered, "Did you see his hair?" as the door closed. He looked at his mother to see her hiding a giggle. "Go ahead, laugh."

Alanur smiled, smoothing his hair down. Her hands slid down to cup his face, and she looked at him for a minute.

Frank gave her a little smile, and Alanur hugged him tightly. "Do you remember me yet?" she whispered, almost afraid of the answer.

Frank sighed. "Some," he said. "I know you're my mother. I remember a time when I was younger…I was in the middle of the desert, and was play-fighting another kid with a wooden sword. I tripped and he accidentally hit me in the face with it. I guess he thought he really hurt me, because he ran to get you."

Alanur pulled back. "You remember that?"

Frank nodded, carefully. "I dreamed it, in the hospital."

Alanur smiled. "That was your cousin," she stopped when she saw him frown. "What is it?"

"I had another dream…there was a battle. Someone told him to protect me." His eyebrows flew up. "He called him 'grandfather'."

Alanur's smile was threatening to split her face. "Yes! That was my father, Ardeth Bay. He's your grandfather!" She took Frank's right arm, pointing to the tattoo on the inside of his wrist. "This is the mark of our tribe, the Med-jai. My father was Leader, for many years."

Frank smiled back, happy for the proof that his memory was indeed returning, however slowly. "I wondered where that came from," he said, looking at the tattoo. "I didn't ask anyone, thinking it was probably a mistake I made as a teenager…" 

Alanur laughed and stood, the smile still lighting up her face. "Get dressed, son, the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get there!"


	11. Grandpa Ardeth!

The drive was a long, boring one. They were in a minivan with air conditioning, but the sun's hot glare still shone mercilessly through the windows. 

Frank was currently dozing; his seat reclined back a little. He could tell that the others were trying to talk quietly, thinking him asleep. He opened his eyes and squinted out the window.

The desert was vast, and there was nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. He thought it amazing to see such an opposite to the United States. _Don't forget, you apparently spent many years here, _his mind told him. "Don't forget," he mumbled, with a laugh.

"You awake?" he heard.

Turning away from the window, he saw his team playing cards. Jake had offered to drive, but Alanur declined. She knew where she was going, while Jake would never find it, she'd told him.

"Wanna play?" Cody asked.

Frank looked at the cards in everyone's hands, and tried to figure out what they were playing. 

They saw that he couldn't remember the game. "Rummy," Alex told him.

Frank shrugged. "I don't remember it."

"We'll teach you," said Cody. "Watch."

Frank did, and realized that it took more brainpower then he currently had at the moment. 

Suddenly, soft music wafted in through the speaker to Frank's left, and he closed his eyes, letting it soothe him. As he listened to the words, he wondered if it was a song he knew.

'I keep forgetting, we're not in love anymore… 

I keep forgetting, things will never be the same again…

I keep forgetting, how you made that so clear…

I keep forgetting…'__

If Frank's head hadn't been hurting, he would've busted out laughing. _'I keep forgetting'…_No one else seemed to notice the ironic words, and Frank tiredly closed his eyes. 

"Whoa!" he suddenly heard.

Frank gave a startled jump, and noticed that they were stopped.

"It's all right!" he heard his mother say. "Don't make any sudden moves."

To Frank's despair, he watched his mother get out of the minivan. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Looks like they don't know it's us," said Jake, pointing to a small group of black-clad horsemen, some of which were pointing guns.

Frank watched as they lowered their weapons, upon seeing Alanur. 

The Med-jai galloped closer, and one of them got off his horse and hugged her. Turning, they walked towards the van, Alanur motioning for everyone to come out. 

They did, and Alex and Monica raised their eyebrows at the good looks of the man walking with Alanur.

When they reached them, the man stood in front of Frank, and just looked at him for a minute, hoping for a reaction. 

Frank stared back, knowing he knew the man, but trying to figure out who he was. He tried desperately to remember, not wanting to disappoint another person. Suddenly, his recent dream came back to him, where he and his cousin had been playing with the wooden swords.

"Walid?" he said.

At that, Walid's face split with a wide grin, and he grabbed Frank in a bear hug.

Frank hugged him back, smiling over his shoulder at his mother, who was grinning ear-to-ear.

Walid pulled back, still smiling at Frank. He looked him over; distressed to see his fatigued and pale features, and the pain he knew his cousin was trying to hide. 

"Frank," he said, shaking his head in sympathy, his hands on his cousin's arms. "You get into more trouble then I do!" 

Frank smiled, and looked beyond Walid, where his team was watching.

Walid turned around, looking at the strangers.

"Walid," said Alanur. "These are the agents who make up Frank's team." 

Walid smiled, and the girls nearly melted.

"Jake, Cody, Alex, and Monica," Alanur continued. "This is Walid, Frank's cousin and Leader of the Med-jai."

Alex and Monica's jaws practically dropped, upon hearing that. 

"I wish _I_ was born into Frank's family," Cody whispered to Jake. "They get all the girls!"

"An attractive face isn't everything," said Jake. "A man needs a certain charm, you know? That's what the ladies _really_ go for." 

Walid took Alex's hand in his, and kissed it. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said.

"Y-you too," said Alex, almost sounding dreamy.

Cody giggled, when Walid kissed Monica's hand next, and she reacted in much the same way. "_That_ sort of charm?" he whispered to Jake. 

"You should get out of the sun," Walid told his cousin. "Follow us to the camp. Our grandfather is anxious to see you."

Frank nodded, and they all got back into the minivan.

A mere ten minutes later, they finally arrived. 

"We're here!" said Alanur. She quickly stopped the van, and got out. "Father!"

Everyone watched as she hurried to a small group of people, throwing her arms around one of them. 

Walid took Frank's arm, and brought him closer, the team quickly following, each of them excited to see Ardeth Bay once again.* 

Alanur pulled back from her father. Turning, she reached out for Frank. "This is your grandfather," she told him.

Frank came closer and studied the man before him, happy to feel a glint of recognition. 

Ardeth Bay smiled as he looked at his grandson; one that he was so proud of, one who had done great things in his young life. Taking a step forward, he wrapped his arms around him, holding him as tightly as a 100-year-old man could. 

Frank was shocked to feel tears well up in his eyes. His memory was gone; memories of all these wonderful people, memories of a grandfather he was fortunate enough to still have! He couldn't remember how old Ardeth was; only knowing that he was very, very old; Alanur having been born to him later in life. How much longer could he possibly live…would Frank get his memory back before his grandfather died? 

Ardeth sensed his grandson's distress, and held him all the tighter, in comfort. He wasn't sure how much longer he could maintain the position, his arthritic bones were protesting vehemently. He suddenly felt a hand grip his arm, helping him to stay upright. He couldn't turn his head to see who it was, but he already knew.

"You're home," Ardeth said. "Everything will be all right, you'll see, my namesake."

Frank's team frowned, looking at each other, puzzled. "Namesake?"

Alanur nodded. "'Frank' is his middle name. His full name is Ardeth Frank Donovan."

"What!" Jake exclaimed. "You're kidding?"

"Oh wow," Cody said. "Now I know why I can't break into his classified file! Look at the info they're hiding!"

Alanur nodded. "Can you blame them? A United States federal agent from a supposedly mythical ancient Egyptian tribe?"

Everyone shook their heads, in amazement.

"Well," said Monica. "Now you don't have to continue to beat yourself up wondering what's in the _one_ file you can't break into, Cody!" 

Frank and Ardeth finally broke apart. Frank opened his mouth to say something, but someone else spoke first. 

"Let us go into the tent, where it is not so hot."

Everyone looked at the old man gripping Ardeth's arm, and Frank's team gasped.

"Safti?" said Jake.

Safti smiled, nodding his head. 

The team was amazed. To them, neither Ardeth nor Safti looked their age at all, but Ardeth was thinner and almost weak looking, whereas Safti was still big and broad, looking stronger then a man his age. 

They all walked into a nearby tent and sat down. Watching as Safti helped Ardeth, the team couldn't believe how young both men still looked. They both had gray in their hair, but it wasn't white, and some of the hair managed to stay dark, rather then graying completely. They assumed the amazing physical condition of the older Med-jai to be due to the fact they'd trained for battle all their lives, nevermind the fact that they didn't eat the crappy food loved by the average American. 

At first no one spoke, as they all happily looked at each other. 

"How are you, hafid?" Ardeth asked Frank. "You do not look well."

Frank sighed. "I can't remember anything," he said. "Well, I remember a few things, had a few dreams. Some things—and people—are familiar; while others…" he shrugged. 

Ardeth nodded. "I once suffered the affliction."

Frank and his team frowned. "Really?"

Ardeth nodded. "Many years ago, before any of you—including Alanur—were born. I followed a certain…" he searched for a word. "Troublemaker, to England, and was riding in a bus when it tipped over."**

Everyone blinked at that, looking at Frank. The bus he had been in had tipped over too, although his injury was from the criminal's crowbar. 

"I sustained a serious concussion and lost my memory completely," Ardeth told them. "It was almost three weeks before I regained it."

Everyone looked at Frank.

"It's been longer then that…" Frank told him, with a sigh. 

They all gave him sympathetic looks. 

"You're memory _will_ return," Ardeth said, adamant. 

"You have to have faith, Frank," said Alanur. "Don't try to remember too hard, you'll only tire yourself out, mentally."

Frank nodded carefully, not looking convinced. 

"How about a walk around the camp?" Monica suggested. "Maybe he'll recognize and remember something."

"Are you up to it, in this heat?" Walid asked his cousin.

Frank wasn't too sure, but he wanted his memory back. Standing, he nodded, carefully.

Walid stood, and began walking towards the tent flap.

Frank's team started to get up, but Ardeth held out a hand. "No."

They all looked at him, askance.

"Let Frank and Walid go alone," he said. "When they were children, they were inseparable. They are like brothers. It may help Frank to remember if it were just the two of them, like in the past."

'I Keep Forgetting': cool song of the 80's by Michael McDonald.

'hafid' : 'grandson'

** 'The Lost Med-jai' : http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=716511

*If  you're wondering why Frank's team was shocked to see Safti, (and how they knew him, in the first place, lol) you have to read the prequel to this story, 'One is Two':  http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=768677


	12. Not Every Memory is a Good One

Frank and Walid walked slowly through the camp, Frank looking around as if he'd never seen it or the people before. As they walked, Frank desperately tried to think of something to say, feeling awkward at the whole situation. 

Walid spoke first. "Is the heat bothering you?"

Frank opened his mouth to say 'no', but it would be an obvious lie; he was sweating like crazy, and the heat combined with his headache was making him dizzy. "I'm all right," he said.

Walid laughed, shaking his head. "We are too much alike. Very much like our grandfather."

Frank looked a question at him.

Walid nodded. "He was our best leader, hated by many foes who tried often to kill him. He's been injured more times then this whole tribe combined." He shook his head. "And yet, he always insisted that he was fine. Bleeding and half conscious, it did not matter; according to him, he was fine."

Frank smiled. "I seem to recall being that way too."

Walid nodded, with a laugh. "Yes, you are, and so am I! Let us find a place to sit, you look as if you are about to fall down." Suddenly, he stopped.

Frank stopped too. "What?" he asked.

Walid shaded his eyes, looking off into the distance. "Think you can make it that far?" he asked, pointing.

Frank followed his finger, seeing a lake and rocks beyond a horse corral. His legs were hurting, and his body felt weaker and weaker the longer they walked, but he said, "Yeah."

Walid smiled and they both headed in that direction, Walid taking Frank's arm to assist him, to Frank's inward relief. 

As they walked, Frank grew even more grateful for Walid's help when his vision suddenly swirled, but thankfully righted itself. He bit back a groan as the glare of the hot sun increased his headache, and he felt immense relief when they reached the rocks. 

"Do you remember this spot?" Walid asked.

Before Frank could answer, he suddenly slipped on the rock, but Walid quickly grabbed him, gently sitting him down.

Walid sat next to him, a steadying hand still on his cousin's arm as Frank closed his eyes and raised his other hand, placing it on the side of his head, as if making sure it stayed on his neck.

"Are you all right?" Walid asked, nervously. 

Frank exhaled deeply. "Yeah."

"You left the hospital early," Walid stated, more then asked.

Frank opened his eyes and lowered his hand, not able to hide the smile preceding his next words. "Of course. I take after our grandfather."

********************

"Bintee."

Alanur turned, to see her father slowly walking towards her. "Where is your bodyguard?" she asked with a smile, taking his arm.

Ardeth laughed. "Safti is engaged in an interesting activity with Jake."

"And what is that?" Alanur asked.

"They are arm-wrestling."

Alanur's mouth dropped. "Arm wrestling?! He's 100 years old!"

Ardeth nodded. "It was _his_ idea. I think he might actually let Jake win."

Alanur laughed at that.

"What are you doing, bintee?"

Alanur sighed. "Wondering where Frank is."

"With Walid," said Ardeth.

Alanur nodded. "I mean I wonder where they went."

Ardeth shook his head, not knowing. "I'm sure he is all right."

Alanur nodded, smiling at her father.

Ardeth smiled back, and turned, walking off to find out the outcome of Safti and Jake's wrestling match.

********************

"We used to come here all the time?"

Walid nodded. "When we made camp in this area, this spot was the first place you and I would go. We saw so much sand that we loved to sit by the water every chance we got." He smiled. "The minute we arrived, we would rush over here and jump right in, heavy robes and all."

Frank tried desperately to remember, but had no such luck.

Walid saw his struggle, and sighed. "Do you remember what name you usually call me?" he asked.

Frank frowned. "Name?" 

Walid nodded. "Something I only allow _you_ to use."

Frank couldn't remember, and made a sound of frustration. "What do I call you?"

Walid smiled. "Wally."

Frank smiled back, not expecting that for an answer. "I call you 'Wally'?"

Walid nodded. "You're the only one who gets away with it because you have an Americanized name too. To the tribe I'm Walid Bay; Med-jai Leader, but to you I'm just cousin Wally."

Frank laughed. 

Walid looked off in the distance, glad to see that the sun was almost about to set. When he looked back at Frank, he saw an odd look on his face.

"Frank?" he said, concerned.

Frank blinked. "You saved my life, once."

Walid smiled. "That's right. Do you remember how?"

Frank lowered his head, thinking. It was a minute or two before he said, "The camp was attacked."

Walid nodded. 

"I was fighting…and had some sort of difficulty." He frowned at that, not remembering why. "The man I was fighting was built like an ox, and punched me in the head," he unconsciously rose his hand to his wound. "I was stunned, and he was about to stab me with his sword. The next I knew I was in a tent and you were bending over me." He looked at Walid. "You killed him."

Walid nodded. "You weren't as skilled with a sword, thanks to living in America half the time. You were capable of defending yourself, but _that_ man was too much."

Frank nodded. "I remember how needlessly worried my mother was, when you brought her to me."

"Yes," Walid agreed. "You always were prone to head injuries. Even when you had one that wasn't bad, she worried."

Frank sighed. "I wonder how she feels about _this_ one."

They sat in silence for a minute, as the sun went down.

"Come," said Walid. "It is nearly time for the evening meal. You need more rest."

Frank stood, with Walid's help, and they walked back to the camp. 

********************

"There they are," said Jake.

Alanur stood and followed Jake's finger, seeing her son and Walid making their way towards them.

"Where have you been?" she asked, taking Frank's arm.

"At the pond," Walid told her. "Frank remembered something."

Alanur's face lit up, as they joined Ardeth and Frank's team where they sat around a campfire. As they ate, Frank told them what he'd remembered. 

"It looks as if your memory is returning, hafid," said Ardeth, happily.

Frank smiled, finally feeling a glimmer of hope. Suddenly he heard a strange laugh, and it chilled him to the bone. 

"Frank?" Alex said, hearing him gasp.

Everyone looked at him, to see him staring over the campfire at a group of Med-jai.

"Frank?" said Alanur. "What is it?"

Frank said nothing, continuing to stare.

Concerned, they all moved closer, touching him or repeating his name.

Suddenly he spoke. "Him."

"Who?" Alanur asked.

Frank raised his arm, pointing. "That man killed my father!"

Everyone looked at him, dumbstruck.

"Frank!" said Alanur, feeling a jolt of fear hit her stomach. "Frank, you don't _know_ who killed him, his murderer was never found!"

Frank's team looked at each other, in shock at this new piece of info.

Frank said nothing, staring at the man who was laughing at the story another Med-jai was telling him. In Frank's mind, he was seeing something very different.

_"I'm not sure what I want to become, Dad," Frank said to his father._

_Frank Donovan Sr. smiled as they walked down the street. "You should think of something soon, at your age."_

_The sixteen-year-old Frank shrugged. "I will…I just don't know what, yet."_

_"It's a hard decision," his father said. "But I know you'll do great in whatever you choose, son."_

_Frank Jr. smiled at him, and stopped. "I gotta get something in this store."_

_His father nodded. "Okay. I'll be at that newspaper box," he said, gesturing across the street._

_Frank Jr. nodded and went into the store, and his father kept walking._

_"Donovan!" he suddenly heard._

_Turning, Frank Sr. looked for the owner of the voice, but saw no one. "Who's there?" _

_"Donovan!"_

_Frank Sr. followed the voice, around the side of the building. Suddenly, he was grabbed._

_Frank Jr. came out of the store, and stopped when he didn't see his father where he was supposed to be. "Dad?" he called._

_Suddenly he heard a strangled cry, and ran towards it. As he ran around the side of the building, he heard a gasp, and then a cruel laugh. "Dad!" he called again._

_When he reached the back of the store, he was faced with the worst sight of his young life. His father was lying on the ground, not moving, a pool of blood beneath him._

_Frank screeched to a halt, in fear and shock. He was about to run to his father, but he suddenly heard a sound behind himself, and turned around._

_Rafiq had tried to sneak up on the boy, but had accidentally stepped on something he didn't even bother to identify. When Frank Jr. turned, Rafiq had no choice but to punch him in the face._

_Frank fell to the ground, out cold._

_Rafiq shook his head, with a sigh of exasperation. He hadn't wanted the boy to be put in this situation; Rafiq thought he had more time before he came out of the store. "I have nothing against you, son," he said, as if Frank could hear him. 'Son', he thought, with a sigh. "You should've been my son," he said, and gently picked him up…_

_"Hey Frankie! What the heck's wrong with you, man?"_

_Frank opened his eyes with a groan, seeing the faces of his two best friends over him. "Wha—?"_

_"Wow, this is awesome, man!" Frank's friend Marty said. "Frankie Donovan; drunk and passed out on my front steps! Who'd've thought it, man?"_

_Frank sat up, holding his spinning head. "What happened?" he asked._

_"Yup, he's drunk," said the other kid, Matt._

_Frank raised his head to look at him, and realized he was sitting in the grass at Marty's house. "Drunk?" he repeated. "I don't drink."_

_His two friends laughed. "There's a first time for everything!"_

_Frank was confused. Why would he drink, he'd never had the urge to, and his friends were good enough not to lay any peer pressure on him! Trying to get up, his two friends helped him into the house._

_"You better stay here until it wears off," said Marty. "So when you go home your mother won't know."_

_Frank sat on the couch, trying to figure out why something inwardly felt wrong. "I don't remember drinking," he said._

_"Been there!" said Matt._

_Frank said nothing, sitting there in confusion. Eventually, he asked Marty to take him home, and when they arrived, there was a police car in his driveway._

_Getting out of the car, he ran inside to find his mother crying hysterically. "Mom?!"_

_Alanur jumped up from her seat. "Frank!" she grabbed him, holding him tightly. "He's dead, Frank…your father is dead…"_

'bintee': Egyptian Arabic for 'my daughter'

'hafid' : 'grandson'

How you all like THAT twist? Unexpected? lol ;) 


	13. A Medjai Murderer?

_"He's dead, Frank…your father is dead…!"_

His mother's voice echoed in his mind, and suddenly Frank felt someone smoothing his hair. He became aware of his mother's face above him, and heard her sniffling. Blinking, he looked up at her.

"Frank!" she exclaimed. 

Frank looked around, realizing he was in a tent surrounded by his family and team. 

"Wow, Frank," said Cody. "That was freaky!"

"What happened?!" Alex asked him. "You've been staring at nothing for 10 minutes!"

Frank looked at Alanur. She looked so upset, he was afraid to tell her. He sighed, closing his eyes. "That man," he said. "He killed my father." He opened his eyes, looking at Alanur. "I saw him. I was there when it happened."

Alanur shook her head. "No, you were out with friends that night."

Frank sighed again. "Dad and I were walking down the street, talking about what I was to become, in life." He had to pause, to swallow the lump in his throat. "I went into a store for a second, and when I came out he was gone. I heard…noises, and followed them. Dad was…lying on the ground. I heard someone behind me, and turned. It was him, I saw his face! He hit me, and I woke up on Marty's lawn. He _put_ me there!" 

No one said anything for a minute, digesting the story.

"Why did you never say anything?" Ardeth wondered.

"His mind repressed the memory!" said Monica. "He witnessed something traumatic, and then was confused by finding himself in a different place when he woke up. His mind repressed what he saw."

"And now that he has no memory, his mind is no longer repressing anything!" said Jake.

Monica nodded. "Exactly."

Alanur shook her head. "Frank, that man is Rafiq, you know him! He was a friend of mine growing up, I can't see him doing such a thing!"

"There's one thing everyone's forgetting," said Cody. "Where did it happen? America?"

Alanur nodded, sadly.

"Did Rafiq ever go to the US?" Walid asked his grandfather.

Ardeth shook his head. "Never."

Cody lifted his arm in a, 'well, there you go' gesture.

"However…" Ardeth continued, frowning. "Rafiq…I seem to recall…"

Everyone watched him, impatiently wondering what he was about to say.

"At about the same time I found out about your father's death, Rafiq had been missing, and presumed dead."

At this new piece of info, Frank tried to sit up, with Alanur and Jake helping him. "Missing?"

"I remember that also," said Safti. "There had been a battle, I can not remember who it was with. Rafiq disappeared, and returned a week later, telling us he'd been taken by the enemy and had finally escaped."

Frank began to feel lightheaded. "He lied. He took the opportunity to leave and go to the US, to kill my father!"

"But why!" Alanur cried. "I don't understand!"

Ardeth sighed, and everyone turned to look at him. "He was always in love with you, Alanur."

Alanur's eyebrows shot up. "What?!"

"He tried many times to get you to notice him, but you never had any feelings other then friendship. He asked me for your hand, once," Ardeth told her.

Alanur's jaw practically dropped. She closed her mouth again, saying nothing.

"I told him that it was up to you who you married," Ardeth continued. "I was not going to arrange a marriage for you with someone you did not love."

Alanur smiled, grateful for that. A frown quickly replaced it. "But…Rafiq loved me so much he went to America to kill my husband?! That is _not_ love, to destroy my life!" She looked at Frank, putting an arm around him. "And the life of my son!"

Everyone was silent for a minute, at a loss. 

"Frank," said Alanur, taking him by the arms. "Are you sure that _did_ in fact happen?"

Frank frowned. "You think that my mind is so far gone that I hallucinated this? Yes, it happened! I was there, I saw him, I heard him…" He shook his head. "I heard him _laugh_."

Alanur saw that she'd upset him, and pulled him into another hug. "I'm sorry," she said.

Jake, Alex, Monica, and Cody were speechless, having no inkling of what to say or do. The person they were seeing, hugging his mother, seemingly fighting back tears, was not the Frank they knew. He'd been so different since his injury; they all feared he would never go back to being Frank Donovan, United States DOJ agent. 

"How can we prove he did it?" Walid asked, anger evident in his voice.

Ardeth and Safti looked at each other. 

After a minute, Cody raised his hand like a kid in school. "Question."

Everyone looked at him. 

"When exactly did this happen?"

"1987," Alanur told him.

"I can check flight records," Cody told them. "To see if Rafiq took a plane out of the country."

Frank broke the hold his mother had on him, and looked at Cody. "You can?"

It was a shocking question to hear Frank ask.

"Yeah," Cody said. "Through my computer."

Jake laughed. "You brought a computer with you?"

Cody shrugged, sheepishly. "A laptop with a world-wide wireless internet connection, the signal transmitted through a satellite…"

"Way to go, Cody!" said Alex.

"Can you start on it right now?" Monica asked him.

Cody nodded. "I'll go get it." With that, he ran out.

Alanur sighed, closing her eyes against the anguish she felt inside. Hearing her sigh echoed, she looked at Frank to see him looking worse then she felt. "Oh Frank, lie down, dear."

Frank obeyed without protest, exhausted physically, mentally _and_ emotionally. He closed his eyes, wishing the circumstances would somehow fix themselves. 

Cody came back in with his precious laptop, and turned it on. Within seconds, he was typing away at warp speed. 

The 'clickity clickity click' drove Frank insane, thanks to his headache. 

"WAHA!" Cody suddenly exclaimed.

Frank jumped, startled.

"Oh geez, sorry Frank!" Cody said.

"What did you find?" Jake asked.

"Not sure if this is good or bad news, but Rafiq took a flight from Cairo to Washington DC in May of 1987."

Alanur made a sound of shock. "That's when it happened." She raised a hand to her eyes. "Rafiq killed my husband!" 

********************

It was a very long night, for everyone. They all stayed in the same tent, not wanting to desert Frank and Alanur at such a terrible time. 

Walid, at Ardeth's wise insistence, had decided to confront Rafiq in the morning, rather then cause a possible uproar in the middle of the night. 

Everyone tried to sleep, but it was difficult for them all. 

Ardeth pretended to sleep, not wanting to worry anyone over him. He felt terrible that all these years, he'd harbored the murderer of his son-in-law. He closed his eyes with a soundless sigh, trying to convince himself that it wasn't his fault; there was no way he could've known.

Frank also lay awake, his mother on his right side with an arm around him. He could tell by her breathing that she was currently asleep, and he wished for slumber himself, wanting an escape from his emotional and physical pain. He sighed, and his mother shifted slightly. 

Frank held his breath, hoping he hadn't woken her up, but she settled and her breathing stayed the same, to his relief. 

Walid was sitting up not far from Frank, staring into space, angry beyond words at what Rafiq had done to his cousin and aunt. He saw Frank open his eyes, and sigh. Scooting closer, he put a hand on his cousin's shoulder.

Frank felt it, and looked up at his cousin. He could read the anger in his eyes, even through the gentle expression Walid was showing, for his sake. He gave Walid a tired half-smile, and closed his eyes, finally able to sleep at the show of his cousin's strength, a strength that would help him get through this.


	14. Rafiq's Five Minute Long Trial lol

"Rafiq!"

Rafiq awoke, at the sound of his Leader's voice. He quickly rose and left his tent, wondering what was wrong so early in the day.

"Yes, Walid?"

Walid felt his blood boil as he looked at the older Med-jai. For this man to have murdered his uncle—ruining the lives of his aunt and cousin—and then for fifteen years live as an honorable Med-jai…

"Walid! What are you doing?!" Rafiq exclaimed, when Walid grabbed him by the front of his robe, and dragged him roughly towards the tent housing the others. 

Alanur heard the commotion, and placed a hand on her son's arm. "Frank!" she whispered, trying to wake him up gently before Rafiq was thrown into the tent violently, which she considered a very real possibility. 

Frank opened his eyes, just as Rafiq was propelled through the tent opening, landing in a heap in the middle of the 'room'. 

"What is the meaning of this?!" Rafiq exclaimed, more in bewilderment then anger as he rose to his knees.

Walid walked in, and stood over him. "Is there something you need to tell us, Rafiq? Something you've kept secret far too long?"

Everyone saw the fear on Rafiq's face, as he looked to see who else was in the tent. When he saw Alanur, his gaze rested on her.

Alanur put her arm around Frank, who was now sitting up, an unreadable expression on his face as he stared at his father's murderer. 

Ardeth stood, with Safti's help, and walked over to Rafiq. "You once asked for my daughter's hand," he said. "And I told you she would marry whomever she chooses. Do you remember that, Rafiq?"

Rafiq said nothing, his face starting to pale.

"Who was the tribe that captured you, fifteen years ago?" Walid asked him.

Rafiq blinked. "The tribe?" He hesitated. "It was…was…"

"How did you escape?" 

Rafiq swallowed, nervously. 

"And my most _important_ question," said Walid, crossing his arms. "Why did you take a flight to America, during the time you were supposedly held captive?"

"F-flight?!" Rafiq squeaked. "I have never been to America!"

"Yes you have," said Frank. "You killed my father, I saw you!"

Rafiq laughed, nervously. "Ah, I see! Walid, your cousin has no memory, and you are going to believe what his injured brain is dreaming up?"

Walid threw a punch at Rafiq, knocking him onto his back. "How dare you call yourself a Med-jai! You dishonor the tribe with your murderous ways, you dishonor my cousin with your lies, and you dishonor the entire family of Ardeth Bay—the best leader the Med-jai has _ever_ had—by killing his son-in-law!" 

Frank could feel his body start to tremble, at the continued act of looking at his father's murderer. Rage, hurt, and more rage filled him, and he wanted nothing more then to have been the one to hit Rafiq. 

Alanur suddenly tightened her grip on Frank, and he felt guilty that she was being strong for him, rather then he being strong for her.

"You killed the husband of the woman you supposedly love," Walid went on, shaking his head. "You are no better then our enemies. And so, you will be _treated_ no better!"

Rafiq turned white as a sheet.

"Walid!" Alanur suddenly said.

The Med-jai leader turned.

"My husband's wedding ring," she said. "It was stolen off his body."

Walid looked at Rafiq. "Give it to her."

Rafiq sputtered. "What ring?!" 

Walid clenched his fists. "It has already been proven that you committed this sickening crime, Rafiq. Do _not_ insult us further by continuing to lie!" 

Jake jumped to his feet, followed by Alex. "You want us to search his tent?"

Walid nodded. 

Jake and Alex both shot angry glares at Rafiq as they walked by him. 

Rafiq sunk to a sitting position, in the sand. He was surrounded; there was no chance of escape.

The tent was quiet for a few minutes, while Rafiq sat unmoving, his head lowered.

"Why?"

Everyone looked at Alanur, at her softly asked question. 

Rafiq stared at her, seeing the hurt that radiated from her eyes. He was saved from having to answer when running footsteps were heard, and Jake and Alex burst back in.

Jake held the ring up, and Walid grabbed it, holding it in Rafiq's face.

"You took no flight, Rafiq? You didn't go to America and kill my uncle, and steal his wedding ring?"

Frank's team watched Walid, feeling déjà vu at the calm, controlled sound of his voice; Walid looked and sounded much like Frank—the 'real' Frank, anyway—at this moment. 

"It would have been better for you if you had sold it," Walid continued, disgust in his voice. "For we now need no further proof to label you a murderer!"

"It should've been mine!" Rafiq exclaimed, and then closed his mouth with an audible *thunk*, as if he hadn't intended to say that.

"Ah!" said Walid. "He incriminates himself!" 

Rafiq sighed, realizing further defense was impossible now. "I love you, Alanur, I always have! You should have been _my_ wife." He looked at Frank. "You should have been _my_ son."

"I would be ashamed to have a father capable of cold-blooded murder!" Frank exclaimed, his anger showing.

Walid grabbed Rafiq by his robes. "Come, it is time to exact punishment!" 

Rafiq panicked at that, pulling himself back.

Walid let go of him, and went over to Alanur, handing her the ring. Tears slid down her face as she took it. 

Walid grabbed Rafiq again, and hauled him to his feet, pulling him out of the tent, while Jake and Alex jumped up and followed, in case he needed help.

Ardeth, Safti, Monica, and Cody went over to Alanur and Frank, as they sat staring at the ring.

"It is like it only _just_ occured…" Alanur whispered, with a sniff.

Ardeth took her hand, holding it as tightly as a man of 100 could.

Frank looked at Safti. "What will be his punishment?"

"Death," Safti told him. "And as the person who was wronged by him, _you_ have the right to carry out his sentence, Frank."

Cody and Monica's eyes widened, in alarm.

Frank just looked at him, saying nothing.


	15. Bye Bye, Rafiq

Walid came back in, and knelt beside Frank, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Rafiq is bound, in his tent. When do you wish to execute him?"

Frank was silent, staring at his cousin. Looking at his mother, he saw her tears and his expression hardened. "Right now," he said, attempting to stand.

Walid pulled him up, keeping a supportive arm around him as they left the tent.

"Oh no!" Monica exclaimed, looking at her fellow teammates. 

"We gotta do something!" said Cody, as he ran out, everyone following.

"Walid!" said Alanur.

Walid and Frank stopped, waiting for them to catch up.

Alanur took Frank's hands. "Son, you…you aren't the kind of person who would do something like this!"

Frank blinked, looking confused. "I was born into this tribe. This is how the Med-jai punish murderers."

Alanur shook her head. "Yes, you were born here. But you abide by the laws of the United States, who would consider this an act of revenge, and consider _you_ a murderer!"

"Frank," said Monica. "When you get your memory back, it'll destroy you to know you'd killed a man in cold blood, whether he deserved it or not!" 

Frank seemed to consider their words. "I'll abide by US laws when I'm in the US, but while here I'll abide by the laws I was born under."

"Are you sure, cousin?" Walid asked, seeing their point. 

"Yes," Frank said.

Walid shrugged, as if saying, 'he's making his own decision' as they walked on, leaving Alanur and the team standing there, as Ardeth and Safti caught up.

"Oh, father…" Alanur said, as he put an arm around her. 

"He is not in his right mind," Ardeth said, sadly. "We can not blame him for anything that he does."

"When he gets his memory back, he'll wonder why we didn't stop him!" Alex said. "Come on!"

Everyone followed her, to where Walid and Frank were outside Rafiq's tent.

"Use a gun," Walid was saying, handing it to Frank. "You have not the strength to kill him with a sword."

Frank nodded carefully, wondering what the noise of the shot would do to his aching head. 

Walid ducked into the tent, to take the prisoner out.

"Frank!" said Alanur, as they reached him. "Please, don't do this!"

"I have the right!" Frank answered, angrily. "He killed my father! He killed your husband! Don't you want to see him dead?"

Tears slid down her cheeks. "Whether I do or not, not by _your_ hand!"

Walid came out of the tent with Rafiq. "Come, we will do this deed away from camp, so as not to disgrace our people further."

Jake lent Frank a hand as they walked away from the camp, Rafiq constantly trying to get away. They didn't go too far, not wanting Frank, Ardeth, and Safti to wear themselves out. 

Walid stopped and let go of Rafiq, drawing his sword. "Try to get away, and you will die by _my_ hand, _slowly_." 

Rafiq stood there, shaking in fear.

"Now you know how my father felt," Frank said, aiming the gun at him.

"Frank!" Alanur said. "Please, don't!"

"Come on, boss!" said Cody. "This isn't like you!"

"You're gonna hate yourself!" said Alex. 

"Frank, give me the gun," said Jake, hoping the phrase would sound familiar and make him stop.

Frank stood there, pointing the gun at Rafiq, his finger tightening on the trigger. Suddenly the look on his face changed, and the gun fell from his hand.

Everyone ran over to him when he swayed weakly, nearly falling to the sand.

"Frank!" said Alanur, grabbing his arm.

Frank's strength seemed to drain out of him, and he slowly sank to the sandy ground, with the team's help.

Alex kicked the gun away, wondering if his arm had gone numb. _Great timing! _she thought.

"Frank?" Monica said, getting nervous at the look on his face.

Frank snapped out of it, and looked around at everyone. He seemed speechless. 

Walid reached them, pulling Rafiq with him, so he couldn't get away.

Frank looked up at his cousin, and then at Rafiq. His face showed more shock now then it did a moment earlier.

"What is it, Frank!" Alanur exclaimed, scared.

"It's back," Frank finally said.

"What is?" Cody asked.

Frank's shocked looked changed into a shocked smile. "My memory."

Everyone gasped.

"All of it? For real?" Cody said.

Frank nodded slightly. "Yeah…most of it." He looked up at Rafiq. "Along with one that was missing for fifteen years."

"Was it really true, what you said, Frank?" Alanur asked.

Frank sighed, with a nod. "Rafiq killed him."

Alanur sniffed, and wrapped her arms around her son, resting her head on his shoulder.

Frank looked up at Walid. "I can't do it."

Walid nodded. "I understand, Frank." He looked at Ardeth, who shook his head, not wanting the job either.

Without warning, Rafiq suddenly grabbed a dagger sheathed at Walid's side, and with his tied hands, lunged towards Frank.

Alex pulled out the gun to shoot him, but Rafiq was already so close to Frank that she didn't have enough time.

A shot rang out, and Rafiq jerked, the dagger falling from his hands and landing in Frank's lap.

Jake tried to throw himself between Frank and Rafiq's falling body, but everything happened so fast that the three of them ended up crashing in a heap.

Frank saw stars when he hit the sand, and closed his eyes. He didn't hear the frightened voices, or feel the hands that tried to quickly extricate him from the pile. 

Finally the weight of the two bodies was off him, and he opened his eyes to see a crowd of faces looking down at him while a million hands searched him for a knife wound.

"Frank!" Alanur said, tearfully. "Are you all right!"

Frank sighed, trying not to groan. "I'm fine," he said, wondering who'd shot Rafiq until he saw Walid holster a smoking gun.

"Do you still have your memory?" Cody asked, nervously, hoping the jolt hadn't sent it back into la-la land.

Frank tried to sit up, and they helped him, Walid taking his dagger back. 

Rafiq's lifeless body was lying nearby, in the blood-splattered sand. Looking down at himself, Frank saw that most of Rafiq's blood was all over him. He felt slightly nauseated, surprisingly. _It's the head injury, _he told himself. 

"Frank?" Monica said, when he never answered Cody.

Frank realized they were all staring at him, and he tried to remember the question. "Yeah," he finally answered.

Everyone sighed in relief. 

Frank looked at Rafiq again, now finally able to remember him. The nauseated feeling returned, and he realized it was because he'd practically grown up with the man—when living in Egypt—only to find out years later that Rafiq had murdered his father! 

"Get me out of here," he said, surprising everyone with the sudden request. 

Wordlessly, they pulled him to his feet, and made their way back to camp.

Hi Liza! A new reader! Yay! :) You asked me why Frank isn't the leader of the Med-jai. The reason is this; leadership is passed down father to son. Ardeth's son became leader after him, and then HIS son, Walid, became leader. Frank is the son of Ardeth's _daughter_. The only way Frank could inherit the title of leader would be if there was no Walid, who is the son of Ardeth's son. (I know I didn't write Ardeth's son into this story, LOL there were too many characters in it already!) Plus, Walid is 3 years older then Frank. Remember in Frank's flashback, he was 5 and Walid was 8!  ;) 


	16. Surprise Attack

Frank opened his eyes, realizing he was lying down, on soft blankets. Turning over, he opened his eyes, not remembering going to sleep. He was alone in the tent, and he closed his eyes again, thinking.

His memory had been gone for over a month. He could remember what had gone on while he had the amnesia, and was amazed at his uncharacteristic behavior.  

Suddenly the tent flap opened, and Walid walked in. "Sabah il-kheyr."

Frank smiled, sitting up. "Kezalik. How long was I asleep?"

Walid smiled back, as he sat. "A few hours."

Frank looked at his cousin for a minute, before sighing.

"What is it?" Walid asked.

"Everything," Frank told him, practically at a loss for words.

Walid nodded. "You've been through a lot this past month."

Frank snorted. "Lately, this kind of thing has been normal for me."

Walid laughed. It was good to see Frank back to 'normal'—or normal to him, anyway. He imagined that Frank's team didn't usually see their boss so easygoing. 

"Where is everyone?" Frank asked.

"Your mother is with our grandfather," Walid told him. "Jake and Alex are learning some Med-jai fighting—"

"They are?"

Walid smiled, nodding.

Frank raised his eyebrows at that. It wasn't a bad idea at all, to learn some new fighting techniques. Now that he had his memory back, Frank felt touched that his team had all cared so much, for all four of them to have gone to Egypt with him. 

Suddenly the tent flap opened, and Alanur peeked in. "You're awake! How do you feel?"

"Better now that I have my memory back," Frank told her.

"Do you want me to bring you lunch, or are you coming out?" she asked.

"I'll come out," Frank said, standing. 

Walid automatically reached out to help him, and they left the tent.

Ardeth and Safti looked up when they saw him approaching. They were both very happy to see the smile on his face.

"Enjoying the return of your memory?" said Safti.

Frank stopped walking, and just looked at them, as if having just realized they were there. Having not seen Ardeth for quite some time before this visit—and not really 'seeing' him these past few days, thanks to his lacking memory—Frank was overcome with feeling.

"Grandfather," he said, moving closer. 

Ardeth stood, faster then Safti thought he could, and held out his arms as Frank reached him.

Frank hugged his grandfather tightly, relieved beyond words that his memory had returned while Ardeth was still alive. He fleetingly had a thought that if his team could see him now, they'd be surprised to see the 'real' Frank Donovan expressing such emotion. 

They pulled away and smiled at each other, their smiles nearly identical. "It's good to be home," Frank said.

Ardeth nodded. "It's good to _have_ you home."

Frank smiled again and they sat. Looking around the camp, he remembered everything he'd forgotten, and experienced a feeling that made him sad. 

He wished he could stay. 

Ardeth saw the wistful look on Frank's face, and placed a hand on his arm. Before he had a chance to say anything, a voice yelled out.

"We're being attacked!"

Women started screaming for their children, as the men grabbed their scimitars. 

Before Frank had a chance to register the chaos—with the noise hurting his head—a gun was pushed into his hand.

Looking up, he saw it belonged to Walid. 

"Hide! Protect them!" Walid told them, gesturing towards Ardeth, Safti, and Alanur. 

Suddenly Alanur grabbed his arm, and the four of them were hurrying away from the battle.

Or at least, they _hoped_ they were. 

Finding a tent away from the chaos, Frank pushed them all in.

"Frank!" his mother yelled, after seeing he hadn't come in behind her.

"Stay inside!" he yelled from outside the tent, forcing back a wince at the resulting throb in his head.

The battle grew, and soon the attackers made their way in Frank's general direction.

Pointing the gun, Frank realized that his arm hadn't gone numb in a while, and he hoped it wouldn't choose this moment to do so. He shot one bandit after the other; never missing, the first shot dropping each man. 

Counting the shots, Frank knew he was quickly running out of bullets. Some of the attackers, seeing they couldn't get close without being killed, rode away from the area.

All except for one.

Frank had a feeling this would happen, that one of them would attack despite the danger.  

The bandit rode towards him, knowing that if the man still had bullets in his gun, then he would've been killed by now. 

He was out of ammo.

Frank knew the gun was empty, but he stood his ground, pointing the weapon. He hoped it would make the attacker turn around; scaring him into thinking he was about to get shot. However, it didn't happen.

Frank suddenly bolted away, hoping to lure the bandit away from the tent. He heard a strange *whoosh* fill the air, and threw himself to the sand as the flying sword flew over his head. 

The bandit didn't expect that, and pulled on his horse's reins to get it to turn around as it ran past Frank, who managed to crawl over to the sword, gasping at the increased pain in his head. 

The bandit looked at Frank with a laugh, seeing that he seemed to be in pain, as he picked up the weapon.

Frank struggled to his feet, gripping the sword. He'd sincerely hoped the bandit wouldn't get off the horse and engage him in a fistfight, as he knew that he'd likely be down after the first punch, in his current state.

To Frank's relief, the bandit didn't get down. Instead, he unexpectedly pulled a gun from within his robes, pointing it at Frank with another laugh.

The sound of a gunshot filled the air, and Frank dropped to his knees. 

After a second, Frank realized that there was no blood on his body, and the only thing that hurt besides his head was a few aches from throwing himself to the hard ground. Looking up, he saw the bandit dead on the sand, and Walid running towards him. Looking beyond him, Frank saw that the battle appeared to be over. 

"Frank!" Walid said, throwing himself to his knees beside his cousin. "Are you all right?"

Frank saw that Walid was holding a gun, and realized that he'd been the one to shoot the bandit.

"I'm fine," he answered. 

"Where are the others?" Walid asked.

Those words sent a stab of fear into Frank's stomach. He'd left his mother, grandfather, and a man he considered an uncle inside the tent. Had they been killed?

Walid saw Frank start to get up, and helped him, keeping a steadying hand on him when Frank stumbled, the now-doubled headache making his vision gray around the edges as he tried to quickly get to the tent he'd left his family in. 

As they neared the tent, they saw that it was still standing, and seemed undisturbed. The flap suddenly opened, and Alanur peeked her head through. 

When Frank saw his family come out, unharmed, he nearly fell and took Walid down with him. 

"Frank!" Walid said, gripping his arm tighter when Frank's legs buckled, his still-weak body unable to handle the huge surge of adrenaline caused by the life-threatening situation and fear over his family's near-death. 

Walid saw that he wasn't having much luck keeping Frank upright, and gently lowered him to his knees, rather then risk him falling flat on his face. 

Alanur reached them by then, and dropped to her knees as well, grabbing her son by the arms.

"He's all right," Walid told her, seeing her alarm. 

Frank nodded, despite his headache. "I'm fine." He looked his mother over to see that she was unhurt. Looking up at his grandfather and Safti, he saw that they also were thankfully unscathed.

Frank suddenly realized who was missing. 

"Jake and Alex are all right," said Walid, seeing the look on his face. "They used their guns on the bandits." He paused. "I did not see Monica or Cody…" He suddenly heard Jake's voice. "There they are."

Looking up, Frank saw his four team members rushing over, in concern to see him kneeling in the sand.

Frank stood up before they reached him, remembering something he wished he could forget: Alex and Monica's dreaded mother-henning. 

"I'm fine," he said, before they could ask.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, looking each other over, as if wanting to see for themselves that everyone had indeed escaped unharmed.

Walid was the only one with an injury, as Frank finally noticed a cut in the sleeve of his left upper arm, with blood staining the cloth. 

Walid saw his look, and said, "It is nothing, just a scratch."

"Do I even _want_ to know who those nuts were?" Cody exclaimed, more then slightly shaken. 

Walid shook his head, with a laugh. "No, you don't." He looked up when someone suddenly called his name, and he hurried away.

"Who _were_ they?" Jake asked Ardeth.

Ardeth shook his head. "Desert bandits. Attacks do not happen as often as they used to, but when they do…"

No one said anything, watching as Walid conversed with his warriors. 

"Let's go back to the tent," Frank said, his head killing him. He hoped no one saw the pain he was trying to hide, but they became suspicious at his request.

"You okay?" Monica asked.

He sighed, hating the question. "Fine," he said, as they walked. "Where were you and Cody during the battle?"

"We grabbed kids and hid them," said Cody.

Everyone smiled at him.

Cody gave a shy shrug. "Speaking of which, we hid some in your tent, Walid. I hope they didn't mess it up _too_ much…"

Walid gave a mock-panicked look, making everyone laugh.

'sabah il-kheyr' Egyptian Arabic for 'good morning'

'kezalik' : 'likewise'


	17. Five People went to Egypt, but Six go ba...

There were no more attacks on the camp for the remainder of their stay, and everyone had a good time, considering it a vacation. 

Frank continued to recover, and finally his headaches got better, becoming too painful only when he exerted himself. 

When the day finally came for them to go back home, no one wanted to leave. They knew they had no choice, of course, their job demanded it of them. 

As they prepared to say goodbye, Ardeth could see the sadness in Frank's face, knowing that Frank probably thought this was the last time he'd ever see him.

Ardeth put an arm around his grandson. "You are not leaving me, hafid, do not be upset."

Frank frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ardeth smiled. "I am coming with you."

The shock on Frank's face was evident.

Frank's team smiled at each other, at the news. 

"Seriously?" Frank asked.

Ardeth nodded. "I am old, and would like to see _your_ world, hafid. If I would be too much of a burden, I understand…"

Frank shook his head; glad to see it didn't increase the small ache he still had. "I would love for you to come." He gestured towards Safti. "What about your shadow?"

Safti laughed. "As much as I would love to, Walid will be losing the advice of _one_ Elder, and with me gone also I think the tribe may very well fall apart."

Everyone laughed at him. 

"I wish _you_ would come too," Frank said to Walid.

Walid nodded. "I will, soon. I would like to see the picture Cody told me you have in your apartment."

Frank looked at Cody. "Which one?"

"The one _he's_ in," Cody said. 

Frank nodded, with a smile. That picture contained his whole family, and was his favorite. 

Everyone said their goodbyes, and Frank, his team, Alanur, and Ardeth loaded up in the minivan, driving towards Cairo. 

The team played cards again during the ride, and now that Frank remembered the game, he played with them, to his team's slight surprise. They tried to teach Ardeth, who managed to pick it up pretty fast, to their amazement.

"I had an old friend who enjoyed playing cards," Ardeth told them. "In fact, he also was from Chicago." 

"Who?" Frank asked.

"Rick!" Alanur called out, from the driver's seat.

"Rick O'Connell?" said Frank. "I thought he grew up in a Cairo orphanage."

Ardeth nodded. "He did. But before he ended up in Cairo, his family had been from Chicago…rummy."

Everyone watched as Ardeth picked up the red 5 that Frank had just put down, and then proceeded to take two more 5's from the pile, placing them down in front of him as points. He then looked up, to see everyone smiling at him. "What?" he asked.

Alex laughed, shaking her head. "You're an amazing man. How do you stay so young? What's your secret?"

Ardeth smiled at that. "Plenty of sun."

Everyone laughed again. 

"You won't see much of that in Chicago _this_ time of year!" said Monica. "I bet there's snow on the ground by now."

"Ever seen snow?" Cody asked.

Ardeth nodded. "I have seen it twice." A smile spread across his face. "Safti was with me the second time…"*

********************

They finally arrived at the Cairo airport, and the FBI plane was waiting for them. As they approached it, they saw the pilot come down the steps. 

"Frank?" they heard. 

Frank recognized his voice, and a look of surprise crossed his face. "Sam?"

"Woo hoo!" Sam exclaimed, grabbing him in a bear hug, to Frank's surprise. "You got your memory back!"

Frank's team laughed at the sight.

"Thank God," Sam said, pulling back. "You scared the crap outta me when I flew you here." He sighed. "How you feelin'?" 

"Better," Frank answered, smiling at his friend.

Sam smiled back. "That's great! Everyone ready to go home?"

Everyone nodded, and boarded the plane. 

Ardeth was stunned at the aircraft's interior, having seen nothing like it before. 

"Hello!"

Ardeth was startled at the sound of the unfamiliar female voice directly behind him, and when he turned around he nearly lost his balance.

"Whoa, easy there," said the woman, grabbing him before he could fall. 

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Marie," the woman said, with a smile. "I'm a doctor, sent to make sure the patient gets back in one piece."

"I'm fine," Frank said, moving to stand next to Ardeth. "But it's nice to see you again."

"Same here!" said Marie, she and Frank having met a few times before he switched to the DOJ. "But whether you feel better or not, it's still dangerous for you to fly…" Marie looked from one to the other of them. "Wow, you two are practically identical! Are you—" she stopped before asking if they were father and son, knowing that Frank's father was dead. "His uncle?"

"I am his grandfather," said Ardeth.

"No way!" Marie said. "You don't look old enough!"

Ardeth smiled at the flattery. "I am exactly 100 years old."

Marie's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me!"

Ardeth shook his head.

Sam's voice suddenly came over the speaker. "Everyone take your seats, we're about to take off!"

Frank sat on the bed and held his arm out for the blood pressure cuff he knew the doctor was going to put on him. "Where's Angela?" he asked her.

"On an assignment," Marie told him. "She's my best friend. She'll be thrilled to know you got your memory back, as I can see you have."

Frank nodded, with a smile. 

********************

The flight went smoothly this time, and Frank's BP remained stable throughout it. He slept through most of the flight, refusing a sedative but accepting pain medication, as he knew the cabin pressure would likely increase his still-present—but thankfully no longer severe—headache. 

Ardeth spent the flight chatting with Marie, who formed the opinion that Ardeth was a sweet man. 

_I can't believe he's that old, _she thought, amazed how good he looked. _Too bad he wasn't younger…_

"We're ready to land, people!" Sam's happy voice came over the speaker. 

Everyone sat down as the plane descended, Marie checking to make sure Frank's blood pressure remained stable.

Frank woke up as she did it, and waited until she finished before he sat up. "Are we there?"

Alanur nodded, sitting next to him. "Landing right now."

Frank smiled inwardly. As much as he enjoyed being with his people in Egypt, it felt good to be home.

********************

Jake drove towards Frank's apartment, his truck's heater on full blast. Monica was right, there was snow on the ground, and it was pretty cold outside. None of them were dressed for it, naturally, and he tried to make the trip short. 

When they pulled up, Frank was eager to get out. The minute he did, he headed over to his silver Volvo S80 and got in it. 

Everyone followed him, trying to hide their humorous smiles at his excited behavior. 

Frank started up the car, and listened to the purr of the motor. He'd fallen in love with the car instantly, when he'd seen it at the dealer.

Ardeth was impressed, as he looked the car over. 

Frank shut off the engine and got out, not wanting his grandfather to freeze, being used to the hot desert. "I'll take you for a ride in it later," he said.

Ardeth smiled at that, and they went into the building. 

When they stepped into Frank's apartment, Frank felt an overwhelming sense of relief; he finally felt like himself again. Going over to the couch, he plopped down on it with a relieved sigh. 

Ardeth followed, also sitting down, tired from the long flight.

Frank watched him as his grandfather looked around the room. "What do you think?"

Ardeth smiled at him. "Big, compared to a tent."

Frank laughed at that, as everyone sat down. 

Jake sighed, looking at his watch. "What time is it here, anyway?"

Frank looked over at his VCR. "Almost 4pm."

Everyone changed their watches, wondering how long they were gonna be jet-lagged for.

"What do you got to eat in this place?" Cody asked.

"I'd like Chinese," Frank said.

"We all saw _that_ coming!" said Alex.

"Are you sure you wouldn't want a peanut butter and banana sandwich?" said Jake.

Frank frowned, looking at Alanur.

She laughed. "That's what you asked me for, remember?"

Frank smiled. "Yeah…that's right."

"What is this 'Chinese food' like?" Ardeth wondered.

"I'll go pick some up," said Cody. _A 100-year-old desert nomad seeing chopsticks for the first time, _he thought. _Oh, this is gonna be funny…_

'The Lost Med-jai' http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=716511

LOL hey Marie, I bet you didn't expect to see yourself in here, huh? You begged so much, I just HAD to… :)


	18. Making a Father Proud

Frank opened his eyes, wondering for a second where he was. Turning over in bed, he realized he was home, in his apartment. He sighed with relief that it hadn't been a dream. He really _did_ get his memory back, and he really _was_ home. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was 7:30pm.

With a grin, Frank thought back to a few hours ago when Cody had brought back the food, and they'd attempted to teach Ardeth how to use the chopsticks. Everyone had laughed hysterically when Ardeth had taken one stick, and speared a piece of sweet&sour chicken, with a triumphant smile.

Frank chuckled, as he sat up, running a hand through his hair. He felt the rough spot where the scar from his hematoma surgery was and he sighed, shocked to have lost over a month of his life thanks to a case gone bad. _Better than losing your life though, _he thought.

Standing, he got out of bed and went into the next bedroom, to see his grandfather fast asleep. Everyone was seriously jet-lagged, his tired team having left two hours ago. 

Walking into the kitchen, he saw his mother also asleep, on the sofa bed. Frank had offered his bedroom to her, but she insisted he keep it, telling him that a mattress in the living room was no different to her then a mattress in a bedroom. 

Frank leaned on the counter, feeling restless for some reason. He was beyond tired, and wanted nothing more then to go right back to bed, but he felt like something was missing; there was something he needed to do.

Going back to his bedroom, he got dressed and wrote a note to his mother. Leaving it on the kitchen table, he quietly slipped out the apartment door. Going down to the parking garage, he got into his precious Volvo, and drove off, in the direction of the Nest.

Pulling up, he got out of the car and looked at the building. It was dark outside, and there wasn't much lighting, but he already felt the restlessness beginning to leave, and he unlocked the door, going inside.

Turning on the lights, he looked around at his workplace, with a sigh of contentment.

Many people in the world hate their jobs, but not Frank Donovan; he's married to it, it seems. He worked very hard in his life, to make it to where he was today. When his father had been killed, Frank had finally decided what he wanted to become; a policeman, someone who would catch criminals, so they could receive the deserved punishment for running people's lives, like his and his mother's had been ruined. When his father's murderer had never been found, Frank had vowed that he would do everything in his power to make sure that didn't happen to anyone else; a vow he knew was unrealistic, but he would try his hardest. 

Going up the stairs, he went into his office and sat at his desk. Opening the bottom drawer, he took everything out and removed what looked like the drawer's bottom. Hidden underneath was a picture, and he took it out. 

Looking back at him was his mother, father, Ardeth, and himself. It was taken only a few months before his father's death, when they had visited Egypt during his winter vacation from school. As he stared at the picture, his father's words suddenly came back to him.

_'I know you'll do great in whatever you choose, son.'_

Frank put everything back into the drawer, and set the picture on the desk, where it would now stay. With a wistful sigh, Frank knew that his father was looking down at him, proud at the man he had become. 

THE END 

Thanks everyone, for all the reviews! :)


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